Heaven and Earth
by Noizchild Johnson
Summary: 20th book in Ghost Doll series. Two teenaged lovers embark on a game of murder and torture to kill their boredom. The case ends up at Ju-Oh-Cho's door when the teens get hold of dark magic one evening. Meanwhile, changes come to Tsuzuki and Anna when they recieve a little "gift" while looking for survivors from a violent storm in Okinawa.
1. Poisoned Romeo and Juliet

_Author's Note: I finally have this posted on here! I have to thank the lovely MizUnderstood for making this possible! She is really great. Let us see where this adventure takes us this time._

* * *

Heaven and Earth

 _Chapter One: Poisoned Romeo and Juliet:_

-Ten Days Before October-

An average pair of teenage slackers were lying in the grass late one night for a bit of stargazing.

"I love you, baby," she announced as she crawled on top of him.

"I love you too," he said while sliding his hands into the back pockets of her jeans. He grabbed her ass and squeezed it, then they shared a kiss. She pulled away from him suddenly and began to frown. He noticed the expression on her face with some concern. As much as he could muster, anyway.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I am so fucking bored."

"Bored?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She pressed her forehead against his. "I wanna do something different."

He continued rubbing her bottom. "I know just the thing."

"Really?"

"Do you like games?"

"Ooo, what kind of games?"

He snickered, and grinned smugly. "Well, the kind that cause chaos."

"Chaos?"

"Hell yes!"

She licked her lips. "Will there be blood?"

"Of course!"

"How much?"

He leaned up to give her another kiss. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and clamped her mouth around his in a near airtight seal. The kiss was about boredom and dominance more than romance. She consumed the very air he needed to breathe, leaving him no choice but to break away and come up for air. He looked at her with a nearly feral gleam in his eyes, then brushed her over-dyed blonde bangs from her forehead.

"Did you like that, baby?"

"Fuck yeah! The glee in her voice let him know that she was down for anything.

"Maybe a little bloodshed and mayhem will match the pleasure of that kiss?"

She liked the sound of that, it made her wet with anticipation. She could feel her core trembling as she thought about all the things they could do. "Can we use torture? Please? Please?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm as she played with her hair. "Yeah, babe. Whatever you want."

She squealed, and gave him another kiss "I always wanted to fuck somebody up really bad. Like, go all medieval on their ass." she said. "Hearing people screaming in pain kinda turns me on."

"I know the feeling, baby," her boyfriend said. "I love watching people suffer."

"They deserve it." The soft tone in her voice reflected the sadness in her eyes. He patted her head gently.

"I know. Just wait, you'll get your revenge."

She kissed him again. "Thank you, baby." Her hand drifted lazily over his black cotton t-shirt. "Hey, can I see him again?"

He pretended to not know what she was talking about. "Hmm?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No, what are you talking about?" He winked.

She pounded on his chest with her fists. "Cut it out! Stop teasing… I wanna see him now!"

He broke into a laugh loud enough to swirl around in the evening air. "Alright," he agreed. "You win. Hang on."

He reached into his jacket and pulled a switchblade out of a hidden pocket. Her heart did little flips in her chest as she took hold of the weapon.

"Hello, old friend," she whispered. "I missed you so much." She flicked her wrist and the knife blade fell open. She stared at her reflection in the chrome right before running her tongue along the dull side. This excited her to no end, sending chills throughout her body.

He playfully smacked her ass, and grinned at her. "So, when do we start?" he wondered. She gave her answer as she looked him directly in the eye.

"Right fucking NOW!" she squealed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Right _now_?" he asked.

"Yes! Right damned now," she insisted.

He lay beneath her, smiling. "Well, okay. We'll begin our little game now." She chirped happily and gave him a deep, wet kiss. He groped her breasts before interrupting their kiss.

"But first," he said. "We need to get you a toy of your own."

She gave him a puzzled look. "How do we do that?"

He smacked her ass hard, and smiled at her with a wicked grin. "I think I know just the place...!"


	2. Bamboo Baby

_Chapter Two: Bamboo Baby:_

Love is powerful. It seems endless, creating and recreating itself all the time. One of its best-known by-products? Offspring. But, what of those unable to add that little slice of happiness to their lives in the traditional "normal way?" Well, there are other options.

A giant storm has hit Okinawa. Ju-Oh-Cho got right to down to business wading through stacks of paperwork and collecting souls. Tsuzuki decided to take Anna with him to do a "soul sweep."

"I don't understand," Anna said.

"Don't understand what?" he asked.

"Why you brought me here with you."

"Extra help."

"But I'm not a shinigami. I'm not even dead, sort of."

"We're swamped here so I thought you'd be a good person to help me, Anna. I trust you."

"Okay…" Anna nodded. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"Keep an eye out, that's all. Hisoka and Byakko are helping me, too."

"Sure," she agreed. _Don't know what use I could possibly be here, but I'm gonna stick around._ The moment Anna made up her mind to help out the best she can, Byakko rushed over to the couple in a near panic.

"Tsuzuki!" the tiger shouted. "Tsuzuki!"

"What is it?" his master asked.

"I found someone alive!" the shikigami exclaimed. Tsuzuki and Anna turned to each other with surprise on their face. As if they felt a wave of shock.

"Where? Show me..." the shinigami demanded.

"Hop on, and I'll take you!" Byakko shouted. He lowered himself on all fours to allow his master to straddled him. Once in position, Tsuzuki reached over to Anna and helped her mount the tiger's back by pulling her up.

"Hang on tight," he told her. Anna wrapped her arms around Tsuzuki as Byakko took off flying. They arrived at a giant ruin of a house. The roof already caved in. Not much was left standing. Tsuzuki made an odd face.

"Byakko, are you sure this is it?" he asked.

"Yes!" the tiger insisted. "They're definitely in there! I saw them."

"Okay…" Tsuzuki said uneasily. He and Anna teleported into the house. Once inside he discovered that it looked just as bad as the exterior, if not worse. Since water was dripping from a giant hole in the ceiling, there was no point in exercising the usual custom of removing their shoes.

"We can barely walk around," Anna complained.

"It'll be okay, just stick close to me. Alright?" Tsuzuki told her.

"Right," Anna scoffed.

The water came up to the couple's ankles. The there wasn't much in the house, which seemed to be littered to the rafters with debris: water logged furniture, floating pieces of wood flooring and chunks of plants and trees from outside as well as the odd animal carcass.

"How bad was this storm again?" Anna asking, looking around her at the damage.

"Pretty bad," her husband answered.

"Like how bad from one to ten?"

"Eleven."

"Damn. Why didn't it make the news?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." The duo entered a bedroom door at the end of the hall. Byakko stood guard, waiting for them to conclude their investigation. Two bodies, a man and a woman, lie dead on the floor. It wasn't exactly clear how yet exactly how they had died. Their bodies still looked fresh. Tsuzuki turned his attention to Byakko.

"They're both dead," he whispered. "How can you be sure that _anyone's_ alive here?"

"There!" the tiger insisted, nodding his head toward another room. Right then, they heard a soft cry.

"Is that…?" Tsuzuki asked. He and Anna ran toward the muffled cry. The dead woman was cradling crying infant. The child couldn't have been more than a week old and had been swaddled in a white blanket before all hell broke loose. The cries grew louder as they approached.

"Look at you, little one," Tsuzuki cooed as he picked up the baby. "How long have you've been here like this?" Anna walked over to have a look for herself.

"The cheeks look so red," she remarked.

"Think the baby is sick?" he asked.

"Well, the kid can't stay out here," she said.

Tsuzuki bounced the baby, and rubbed between its shoulders. "So, I guess we're taking the baby with us?" he shrugged.

"What else can we do? The parents are dead and I don't see anyone else nearby."

"Good point," Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "Where do we find baby supplies?"

"I guess we can look around the house first, then head back to the city."

Anna, Tsuzuki, and Byakko searched the house for anything that could help before meeting back in the main room.

"I've got nothing," Anna said.

"No luck here, either," Tsuzuki replied. Just as they had given up hope of finding anything useful, Byakko entered the living room with a diaper bag in his mouth.

"Here..," he offered. The tiger dropped the bag onto one of the few dry spots left. Anna rushed over, unzipped the bag and rummaged around inside. She found three fresh diapers, a blanket, and a clean baby bottle.

"Hm, I guess everything else was used or washed away," she said. "Are you sure this is it?"

"Yes," Byakko said.

"Okay," Anna said. "Shopping it is then." Tsuzuki smiled as he continued cradling the baby in his arms.


	3. Rebel Song

_Chapter Three: Rebel Song:_

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in the city. Her life felt like hell. Not many people dared even to approach her. She hated school, poor girl. Some of her classmates feared her, and the teachers felt the same.

She lived in hell at home. Her mom ignored her. Then there was her father. Oh boy, where to begin with him? The best word to describe him would be lowlife scum bucket. He was chronically unemployed, drank far too much, beat the crap out of his wife, and molested his daughter. Pretty much a textbook narcissist. All the girl could do was suffer in silence. Those that tried to help wound up deeply regretting it.

She prayed for death or someone to take her away. Earlier this year, she would get her wish.

In the spring, she met a delivery boy. They met when he made a delivery to her home. She was alone at the time, and as always - felt a bit needy. This seemed destined to be a love at first sight story. Like her, he too was an outcast. Maybe that's what first drew her to him. When she opened the door, her life changed forever.

"Is this the Wakahisa residence?" he asked. Her cheeks pinkened as she nodded.

"Yes!" she confirmed.

"Is your name fate?" he asked, as his eyes stayed on hers.

"No…" she shook her head.

"Aw, should be. It was destiny for us to meet." His smooth words made her heart flip.

"Would you like to come in or are you too busy?"

"Oh, no, no. You're my last stop for the night."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Well… uh… wow!" She shuffled nervously from foot to foot, red-faced. "Okay, come in!"

"Thanks." He followed her into the house.

From that day forward, he always arranged his deliveries so that he could drop around to her place more frequently. He even began showing up after his shift. Naturally, her father did not enjoy the idea of some young interloper hanging around his women. The last thing that pervert wanted was to share his daughter with another boy. He thought about disposing of the boyfriend. More of that later…

The young lovers grew to feed the darkness in each other. She felt that she could trust him, and freely voiced her frustrations to him.

"I hate them all!" she complained on their way to his secret weapons supplier. "I wish they all would just fucking die."

"They will, baby. We'll see to it tonight."

She stopped in her tracks, trembling. "Wait!"

"Having second thoughts?" He paused, giving her a strange look.

"No. That's not it," she said, shaking her head.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"We have to spare Shu-kun," she insisted. "He's never done anything wrong."

"Fair enough," he said, shrugging.

He opened the door and led her by the hand into the surplus store. The sound of the door chime ringing as they entered excited them, signaling the beginning of a new adventure.


	4. Balance

_Chapter Four: Balance:_

Kyosuke couldn't wrap his head around it. April was a shinigami just like him. They were both consenting adults. So why? Kyosuke shook his head.

 _I don't know what to do with myself_ , he thought. He looked up when he heard the door close. April stood, holding paperwork.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Kyosuke shook his head.

"No, no," he said. April walked over to her post. Kyosuke tried to go back to work. He remembered the first night they made love.

* * *

Kyosuke tried to get into the mood as April approached him. He's seen that look before, and knows what it means. She straddled his lap, and settled down for a little mischief.

"April-san," he mumbled.

She pressed her finger to his lips. "Don't talk baby," she told him. She silenced him with a blister kiss. His hand reached for her and she broke off the kiss to look him in the eye.

"Kyosuke-kun," April wondered aloud.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Don't you fancy me?"

Kyosuke narrowed his eyes at her. "I guess…" he shrugged. April raised a suspicious brow at him before asking, "How much do you fancy me?"

"I don't know. Never really gave it much thought."

April sighed, disappointed as she rolled on top of him. "Why are so damned difficult to understand?! Why are you just so… awkward?"

"What?"

"You've never had a girlfriend or really had sex."

Kyosuke's face turned bright red. "That's not true!" April's reaction old him that she didn't believe him.

"Oh really? Have you ever seen a woman naked?" she asked.

Kyosuke's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" he yelped.

April sighed, and shook her head. "Figures," she said. The English girl sat up and rolled off her red tank top. Kyosuke panicked.

"April-san, w-w-what are you doing?!" he yelped. There was no emotion on her face as she stripped off her clothes, one piece at a time. Her top landed on the floor and she immediately went for her bra.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Can't handle it?" Kyosuke's nose began to bleed as he nodded. She frowned.

"Liar," April muttered. She unhooked her bra and flung it aside. She was determined that this would not be a repeat of last time.

"Tell me something," the shinigami demanded. "Are you gay, or something?" Kyosuke gave her a puzzled look.

"What?! No!" he shouted.

"Then… why so nervous?" she asked. He looked up at her as she stood before him, and swallowed hard at the sight of her.

"I… I… I… don't… know…" Kyosuke shook his head.

"How can you not know?" April leaned toward him.

Once again, he shrugged cluelessly in reply.

"Well then," she said. "That will not do..."

"What?" Kyosuke asked.

"We're going to have to change that," she whispered.

Kyosuke eyes widened, and he looked like a trapped animal. _Oh god… This is it! She's going to… She's going to…_ April unzipped his jeans. She had a hungry look in her eyes as she pulled them down. Kyosuke gulped. April gently shook her head at him to silence him, effectively shushing him before he could even speak.

"Don't…" she murmured. His boxers followed his jeans in a heap of clothes near the desk. Kyosuke's mind became jumbled, but when her mouth surrounded his member he could barely breathe. He breathed in heavy grunts and moans as she serviced him.

"Oh…" he mumbled. The pleasure of her mouth surrounding and engulfing him began in waves.

* * *

"Kyosuke!" he heard someone shouting. which brought him back to the present. The shinigami looked up to find April staring at him with a curious expression.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You feeling okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, are you busy later on?"

"No… why?"

Kyosuke was just about to elaborate when the intercom buzzed.

"Attention, everyone!" a voice crackled over the speaker. "All hands! A huge storm has hit Okinawa!"

"We'll talk later," April winked.

 _Damn it!_ Kyosuke cursed himself, as she rushed out the door.

He raced out the door after her.


	5. Clawing

_Chapter Five: Clawing:_

 _September 21st, 2010._

Her father sat in the living room, watching an old comedy rerun. He laughed as he sucked down yet another bottle of beer while the lovers waited for their opportunity.

She looked inside, and began trembling as soon as she saw him sitting there. Belching, farting, scratching his useless nads.

"There he is!" she whispered as she peeked inside. "We have to kill him! We have to!" He held her hand.

"Let's do it," he whispered. She nodded in agreement, walked up to the front door and pulled out her key. He circled around to the back door to take up his position.

She took in a breath and opened the door as usual. Her father looked up when he heard the lock click.

His eyes shifted from side to side in the darkness as footsteps grew closer.

"Who's there?" he demanded. The lecherous old bastard turned to see his daughter glaring at him. He huffed a watery breath, punctuated with a smirk.

"Well, well, well," the man said. "Look who's here. Where the fuck have you been, you nasty little bitch?"

She clutched a huge rock in her hand that she had picked up from the yard. "Fuck you, old man. You're never gonna put your filthy fucking hands on me again!" she screamed through clenched teeth. Her body was shaking but, the old man simply laughed as he stared at her clutching the rock in her fist.

"You must be joking!" he roared. Her father lurched forward and grabbed her by the waist. "I own you, bitch! Get that into that stupid little head of yours!" He stood up and loomed over her as he spat out his words. "I. Fucking. OWN YOU!" He poked her in the chest to emphasize each word.

"Now, get that pretty little ass up to your room!"

"No!" She turned on her heels and growled.

Her father's face burned bright red. "I said go to your—"

 _Kerthwunk_! The blade sang out as the boyfriend stabbed him between the shoulder blades. He whipped around, howling in pain; trying desperately to dislodge the knife. The boyfriend stood behind the old man grinning, quite pleased with his handiwork.

"You little shithead!" he hollered. The pervert staggered over to his rival. Before he could grab him by the throat, the girl swung the rock at her father, and smashed it into the side of his head.

The man staggered dramatically across the room in his death throes until he wound up face down in the fish tank. His daughter held him under until he breathed his last.

"Not so damned tough now are you, old man?!" she shouted. "ARE YOU?!"

Her father's blood swirled around the fish tank in a thick stream of red that clouded the water crimson red as it gushed from his wound.

Her boyfriend pulled her away from the body, swept her into his arms and kissed her. She broke the kiss, took him by the hand and led him up the stairs. The couple found her mother sound asleep in her bedroom stretched out on a futon. He strapped her down and duct taped her mouth shut. Her mother struggled awake with widened eyes to see her daughter and the boyfriend staring down at her, snickering. She panicked When she saw lit match in her daughter's hand, she panicked and tried to scream through the tape.

"Shut up! Just fucking shut up!" she yelled. "Useless good for nothing bitch! You never did anything for me, did you?!"

"Mmm...mmnnf!" she mumbled through the gag.

"Why?! Why'd you let him have me? You stood by and did nothing. Well, that shit ends today, Mama-san..."

The boyfriend poured gasoline over the woman, and his dutiful companion dropped a lit match.

The glow of the flames reflected in her eyes as she watched the fire consume her mother. She looked over at her boyfriend and grinned wickedly.

"I want more," she giggled. He took her proudly by the hand and led her out of the room. They heard a door opening and stopped at the top of the stairs as the made their way to the front door. They turned to see her little brother, Shu, watching from the doorway of his bedroom. She had an almost maternal look in her eyes as she smiled at him.

"You're free, Shu-kun!" she shouted. "You're free now!"

That was the last siblings would see each other. The little boy was sent away to live with his grandmother while his sister and her boyfriend began their month-long wave of terror.


	6. Sakura Wagashi

_Chapter Six: Sakura Wagashi:_

"Tell me again," Tsuzuki said, holding the baby. "What are we going to do with this kid?"

"No idea," Anna answered.

"What?"

"What else can we do? We couldn't just leave the baby back there."

"Well, we can't take the kid with us!"

Anna glanced over her shoulder. "What if we get some baby supplies and work from there."

Tsuzuki looked down at the child. "Poor kid. How long were you there in that house like that?" He cooed in baby talk.

"Hey, is your cell phone charged?" Anna wondered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," her husband answered. "Why?"

"My phone's been trying to die on me. I think it needs replacing."

"Do you need my phone?"

"In a couple of minutes, I will. Right now, we have to tend to the little survivor."

"Ah." He agreed.

Almost miraculously, the baby had been quiet in Tsuzuki's arms for the last few minutes.

The couple managed to find a konbini. "Oh small wonders," Anna said in a cheerful sing-song. "Good thing I brought my wallet today." Tsuzuki and Anna walked into the small store and made straight for the baby aisle.

"We just need enough until we figure out what to do next," the wife recommended to her beloved.

"Got it," Tsuzuki winked. The couple laid in a supply of powder, lotion, wipes, and diapers, along with a spare bottle, and a fresh blanket.

"That should do it," Tsuzuki said. Anna strode up to the counter, laid out their spoils and made the purchase. She looked over at her husband.

"Care to do the honors?" she asked. Tsuzuki gave her a strange look.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded.

"I don't know anything about babies."

"What makes you think I know any better?" Anna shrugged.

"We're a mess, aren't we?" Tsuzuki sighed as gathered the bags of baby supplies with one hand, slung the baby over his shoulder and padded off toward the bathroom.

Anna happened to catch the clerk watching them. He gave her a slight smile.

"First time parents, huh?" he asked. Anna narrowed her eyes, and furrowed her brow as she spoke.

"Oh, no. No-no-no. We found the baby just a short time ago in a ruined house around the corner," she offered. The clerk gave her an odd look.

"Yeah, okay lady…" he scratched his head.

"Yeah." Anna winced. Her eyes darted behind her to the men's room door.

 _Hurry up, Asato-kun. This is getting really awkward._ Anna thought to herself. She tapped her foot nervously to calm herself down. At last, her husband emerged from the rest room with the baby. Anna whipped around with bated breath.

"Well?" she asked. Tsuzuki smiled, flashing a V-sign.

"She's fine," he answered. "I managed to change her diaper and get her nice and cleaned up."

Anna raised an eyebrow. " _She_?"

"Yes. The baby's a girl."

The clerk gave the couple funny looks. "You didn't know the baby's gender?"

"We just found her today," Tsuzuki answered.

"Does she even have a name?" the clerk asked.

"Uh…" Tsuzuki and Anna replied. The clerk frowned and shook his head. The couple chuckled somewhat anxiously with fake smiles plastered across their faces. Luckily, they were mercifully rescued by a distraction when Tsuzuki's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he breathed. "Oh, Hisoka, it's you. You're done?" He gave a nervous laugh. "Uh… Well… Things got a little complicated on our end. I'll explain when we meet." Tsuzuki hung up and turned to his wife.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," Anna said with a smile and a nod. The couple hurried out of the store, baby girl in tow. The clerk gave them a little wave.

"Have a good day," he said. _That was weird_ , he thought. The bells on the door jingled as it opened and swung closed them.


	7. Exit from New York

_Chapter Seven: Exit from New York:_

 _Hell's Kitchen, New York, America_

Twenty-two-year-old Tai looked out the window of his apartment with a frown.

Man, New York, it just… He shook his head, puffed up his cheeks, and sighed deeply. Being in Hell's Kitchen was choking the life out of him. The appeal having faded about six months ago. The latest incident three weeks ago only proved him right. He needed to reconnect, to hear a familiar voice. So, Tai pulled out his cell phone, scrolled through his contacts and made a call.

"Hello?" he asked. "It's me, Grandpa."

"Taichi-kun?" an old man asked on the other line.

Tai nodded as he looked out at the night landscape. "I'm calling about that job offer."

"You've made your decision?"

"Yes, but I have a couple of conditions of my own."

"Go on…"

Tai lowered his left arm. "One, Lenny has to come with me."

"Done."

"Two, no favors on the job. I want to be treated like the other workers in the factory."

"Of course, my boy. That's a given."

"Three, we go to college for grad school both of us!"

"Your terms seem favorable. You have a deal, Taichi-kun."

"Good," Tai said trying to mask his excitement. "I'll take the job."

"Very good, I already have an apartment set up for you."

"Thank you, sir." Tai took in a calm breath after hanging up. First came the preparations.

* * *

The next morning, Tai headed to the hospital with a gift bag. He made his way to room 318 and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" answered a muffled voice on the other side.

"You just got up?" Tai asked.

"Yeah," the patient answered. "Come in."

Tai opened the door and peeked inside. His roommate, Lenard sat up in bed, eyeing him. Tai gave him a kind smile.

"How are you doing today?" he asked.

"Good," Lenard answered. Tai stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"I got you're a present," he said.

"For me?"

"Bought it this morning." Tai handed him the bag.

"What is it?" Lenard asked as he reached into the bag. His eyes lit up.

"Whoa!" the patient gasped. "English to Japanese phrase books?"

"There's more," Tai said.

"Huh?" Leo shrugged as he reached inside the bag again. "Oh, okay. Japanese language tapes too."

"Yes," Tai answered. Leonard looked up with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's all of this for?" he asked.

Tai sat next to the bed. "Do you remember that job grandpa's been offering me for a year and a half now?"

"The factory job?"

"Yep."

"What about it?"

"I took the job."

"What?"

"You're coming too."

Leonard's jaw dropped. "Wow, man… Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Tai answered. "It was the only way I would say yes."

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as you get discharged."

Leonard looked down at the scars on his wrists. "I have two more sessions here." He gulped, and pressed his lips together. "I've missed you so much."

Tai pulled him into his arms. "It's okay. Just a little bit longer." Leonard nodded. His roommate pulled the English to Japanese phrase book into his lap.

"For now," he said. "So, get studying! You've got a whole language to learn."

Leonard smiled weakly and gave a sharp nod. "Yes sir!"

"I'll quiz you when I come by next week to visit."

"Cool! Looking forward to it!"

* * *

Three weeks after Leonard completed therapy at the hospital and was discharged, the boys touched down in Japan.

Tai held his hand on the flight almost the entire way there.

"This will be a new start for us," he whispered. Leonard rested his forehead against Tai's and smiled shyly.

The silence spoke volumes.

"You're welcome," said Tai. "You are always welcome, Lenny."


	8. Biting Down

_Chapter Eight: Biting Down:_

 _Ju-Oh-Cho._

Watari flashed a light into the baby girl's eyes. He'd never such a deep shade of blue before in his life. He opened the baby's mouth to have a quick look inside. Healthy smooth pink gums and tiny pink tongue accounted for. Watari finished checking the baby's vitals. Finally, he took a blood sample. When the scientist was finished, Watari played with the baby's right foot.  
"You've been a brave little girl," he said. The baby only cried when her blood was drawn. He held her, and sweetly managed to quiet her.

"Shhh, shhh," he whispered. "The worst part's over. You're fine now." Watari wrapped up her examination handed her off to a nurse, and peeked out of his lab into the hallway where Tsuzuki, Anna, and Hisoka were waiting.

"How is she?" Tsuzuki asked. Watari and gave a thumbs-up, grinning the entire time.

"The baby's fine," he said. "She's in great health."

"Good," his friends said, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

"I am curious about something though."

"What's that?" Tsuzuki crinkled his nose.

"How did you find this baby?"

"Byakko found her."

"I see."

Tsuzuki noticed the uncertainty in his tone. "Why, what's wrong?" Watari glanced over at Anna and Hisoka.

"Is there somewhere private we can talk?" he asked.

"Is it that bad?"

"Well… I don't know how to put this yet, so let's find some place a little more private for our talk…"

"Alright."

"Thank you, this way please." Watari led Tsuzuki outside.

* * *

"What's going on?" Tsuzuki asked. "Is there something wrong with the baby?" Watari's eyes shifted from side to side as he tried to think of the best way to present his theory without causing alarm.

"Before I say this," he began. "I hope I'm wrong about this."

"What do you mean?"

Watari pressed his hands together. "I drew blood from the baby to run tests and I accidentally spilled a drop. For some reason, I heard whispering from the blood."

Tsuzuki gave him an odd look. "Whispering?"

"I could've imagined it. Where did you find the kid again?"

"In a ruined house. The roof caved in and flooded. It was crazy!"

"What about the other houses?"

"Huh?"

"Were the other houses just as damaged as that one? This is really important. Think carefully now!"

Tsuzuki dug down deep, and tried his best to remember that evening. "Hmm… Now that you mention it, the houses in that neighborhood looked fine. Some of the roofs had a shingles missing."

"I thought so."

Tsuzuki tilted his head. "Why? What are you thinking?"

"I could be completely wrong about this," Watari reminded him. "But I believe the house might have been targeted." Tsuzuki's eyes widened.

"Targeted?" he asked.

"It makes sense," his friend pointed out. "Why didn't this storm make the news?"

"Anna-chan mentioned that before Byakko told us about the house," the older shinigami said.

"On top of that, the baby is the sole survivor, but both of her parents are killed."

"Wait! You're not suggesting that…"

Watari put up his hands. "Hey! It's only a suggestion. I'll wait for results from her blood test before making any grand conclusions. In the meantime, where is she staying?"

Tsuzuki gave him a blank stare. "What?"

"Will she be staying with you for the time being?"

"I don't know…"

"How can you not know?"

"Well, she might have family looking for her."

"Like who?"

"Uh…" Tsuzuki tried to come up with a suitable answer. "Can't you take her?" He proposed, in a sheer act of desperation.

"I'm sorry, Tsuzuki. But I can't do it."

"Damn it!" Another thought crossed his mind. "Hey, why are you singling me out to confide in about all of this?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Watari said. "But, if I'm wrong, I don't want to cause un-needed panic."

"I understand," Tsuzuki said. "She'll stay with Anna-chan and me for the time being."

"I will do my best to find out everything you need to know about this little one," The doctor assured him. Tsuzuki forced himself to smile and nod. Somehow, he had the feeling this wasn't going to be end of it.


	9. Down the Darker Road

_Chapter Nine: Down the Darker Road:_

 _October 5th, 2010._

He turned the game into a darker hell. He and his girlfriend were broke and needed money desperately. Her solution was to pick a house in a wealthy neighborhood, and break in to see what they could find.

"I fucking hate rich people. All this money and they don't even know what to do with it."

"You are so smart," he told her as he kissed her forehead. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck. The duo started out by casing a nearby neighborhood; an enclave known for high end living and all the privileges that went with that lifestyle.

* * *

Once they settled on a suitable target, they disabled the security system and broke in. Of the two, he proved to be the most skilled, able to open windows without drawing any attention to them, or causing damage. After all, the less evidence, the better. Even though they started small as they learned their new profession, the burglaries weren't sloppy. They stole what they could fit in their pockets: rings, watches, loose cash, and credit cards.

"You're good at this," she whispered one night.

"Shhh," he whispered back. She always went in first. Their scam ran simply enough: break in, grab a few valuable items, leave, and unload the goods. Sadly, the novelty wore off rather quickly.

"Dude, this shit is getting boring as fuck. I wanna try something bigger!" she complained.

"Yeah, I'm getting a little tired of this too," he sighed and shook his head. "But, I think I have an idea. It could be just what we need to liven things up a little."

A puzzled look flashed across her face.

"What?" she asked.

His lips curved into a little smile. "What's tomorrow?" he teased.

"What?"

"What is tomorrow? Come on, think hard, baby… What. Is. Tomorrow?"

Her jaw dropped as she remembered. Then, her face lit up. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!"

He patted her on the head and stroked her hair. "That's my girl - I knew you'd remember. I'll make sure to get you an awesome present."

She squealed, hugging him tightly. "I love you, baby!"

"I love you too."

* * *

 _3:00 a.m._

He returned to their favorite neighborhood, the one he and his girlfriend had looted nightly for two weeks. There was only one house left that hadn't seen their particular sort of attention, and that was going to be dealt with right now. He deliberately saved this one for last. Night after night, they dreamt of the wealth inside. He cased this house for days on end. Tonight was important to him. This was the big kahuna.

He circled around twice before deciding that he'd break in through the back door. The only resident that he was aware of was a doddering old lady. Luckily, she didn't have a big ass dog, and her security system was kinda lame. He took his time. Browsing through the various rooms as if he was shopping at an exclusive boutique. His girl wanted something stunning so, he skipped the usual suspects in search of something flashy. But, what would his girl want? A flat screen? Stereo? Cash?

He heard a low hum as he rifled through drawers and hiding places in the room. He stopped mid stride, and his eyes cut to the right. A box that glowed purple and black caught his eye in the darkness of the room. He thought that he could hear it whispering to him.

His lips curved into a smirk. _Yes! This will be perfect!_ He approached the object, and ran his fingers across the lid. Shivers ran through his body as faint whispers filled his ears. _I… I… I have to have this box!_

"Who's there?" a voice asked. He whipped around and spotted the elderly owner standing in the doorway, flipping on the lights.

"Shit!" he hissed.

The old lady straightened up her glasses. "Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing with my box?" He couldn't understand what happened next. He just remembered a shot, the owner falling to the floor, a pool of blood, and him running out the door.

* * *

"Happy birthday, baby!" he greeted his girlfriend in the morning.


	10. Most Wanted

_Chapter Ten: Most Wanted:_

 _October 5th, 2010._

 _Ju-Oh-Cho._

Tsuzuki and Hisoka were called into Konoe's office for another case. Tatsumi laid out the files.

"The murders started a week ago," he said. The photos showed the bodies dried, skinned, and drained of blood. The eyes looked like they would pop.

"Shit," Tsuzuki murmured.

"The victims were bound and tortured before their deaths," Tatsumi explained. "Nobody wants to come forward as a witness, and the victims have nothing in common."

"But, there is this," Konoe added. He shoved forward a picture with enhanced detail from one of the crime scene photos.

"What is that?" Hisoka demanded.

"We don't know what it is yet, but it looks like some sort of black powder." Tatsumi offered.

"You want us to find the cause?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," Konoe answered. "End this as quickly as possible!"

"Yes sir," the boys said.

* * *

-One Week Earlier-

She sat up, clapping with absolute glee. "What did you get me?" He set the box down on the bed and she studied the carvings in the wood. She too could hear it whispering.

"What is it?" she asked in a dreamy tone.

"I don't know," he said.

"Let's open it!" she squealed with delight. "I wanna see it!" He sat down next to her and reached for the lid.

"Ooo!" he said.

"What is it?" his girlfriend wondered.

"Touch it!" he said. He could see stars as he turned his head to look at the glowing object. Her jaw dropped, and she tried to think of something to say while she sat staring at her present.

"Come on, touch it!" he insisted. He pressed her hands into the wood. Just like him, she felt the chills running through her body. She struggled to catch her breath.

"W-W-What is this?" she asked.

"Can you feel that?" he asked. She took in heavy breaths.

"Yes! Yes!" she cried. "We have to open it!" He let go of her hands and opened the box. The couple gasped at the contents glowing inside with an intense black light.

"Wow!" he gasped.

"It's beautiful!" she smiled as she rushed forward to kiss him on the lips. He pulled her into his arms, and returned the kiss, itching to give her more details all the while.

"I shot an old lady for this," he bragged. She nibbled his earlobe as he spoke.

"Did she bleed?" she purred.

"Yes!" he grinned. "Left a nice pool of dark red blood spurting out right under her rotting guts." She felt a little turned on by her beloved's generosity, and the grubby details of his crime; which prompted her sit up, peel off her shirt, unlatch her bra, and toss them over her shoulder.

"Take me!" she shouted. "I want you so fucking much right now!"

"Do you like your present?" He reached up to cup her breasts in his hands.

"No." She looked through her lashes and pouted.

"No?!" He looked shocked and a little hurt.

"Nope…" she shook her head. "I fucking _love_ my present. It's so cool!"

She leaned down for another kiss. He claimed her mouth hungrily, then spent the next few moments pounding away inside her. When he was through, she too saw stars.

* * *

 _10:00 a.m._

A young woman pulled up in the looted house's driveway. She always came here before beginning the swing shift at her job. The visit usually took ten minutes with conversation and bottled cold green tea. She thought it would be just another day as she unlocked the front door.

"Grandma!" she shouted. "I've come by to check on you!" The woman took off her shoes and went inside.

"Grandma!" she called again. "You up yet?"

The woman wandered into the living room. The smell of dried meat in the air alarmed her. She raced into the living room. The sight of the rich old lady lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood and a bullet hole in her head sent her screaming. Ironically, her death would be rather tame compared to the others to follow.


	11. Three Thousand Giants

_Chapter Eleven: Three Hundred Giants:_

3,000 years ago, giant monsters roamed free across the continent of Asia. They brought misery upon humans, basically treating them like snacks while by chowing down on their crops, livestock, and even their babies. It was worse when the humans fought back. Wherever the monsters walked, the ground shook, people trembled and scurried away in fear. Those with wings whipped up storms that went on for days to months. The humans barely had time to bury their dead.

Pretty soon, the humans grew tired of the chaos. They turned to priests for help.

"Please!" they begged. "We can't take this anymore!" The priests got to work straight away. Everything they tried—spells, charms, rituals— nothing worked. The giants only became angrier. Over time, their hunger increased to the point where they began to consume the adult humans too. What made things unbearable was that the attacks became more frequent, bloody, and random.

It took more than a decade for the gods to intervene. They grew bored with the constant destruction in Chijou. Killing the monsters proved fruitless. When one died, two more sprang forth from its dying shell. The new generation turned out to be scarier than their forebears. When the slaughter didn't yield the desired efforts, the gods met to decide on a new course of action.

"We can't go on like this," Houtu complained. "There will be nothing left of us."

"Killing them hasn't worked," Guo Ziyi pointed out.

"We just can't leave them as is," Laozi said. "We've got to do something!"

The gods argued for twelve days. They kept going around in circles, chattering endlessly, but not making any progress. Interestingly, one of their number -Pangu- sat quietly among them the entire time. In his mind, he had been working out his own solution. He was exacting in his details. Each part of the plan had to be absolutely flawless. There was no room for error. Any miscalculation, no matter how small would bring his entire plan to ruin. On the last day, he rose to his feet and addressed his peers.

"Why don't we trap them" Pangu asked. The gods looked up, stunned.

"What?" they asked.

"Please listen," Pangu said. "We can't kill them and they can't stay on the earth as they are. Why not lock them away somewhere?"

"Where would we put them?" Ao Guang asked.

"I have just the place," Feng Bo said.

From there, the guards began plotting. On August 6th, Longmu attracted the giants with song and steamed rice cakes. Her dragon children fanned the food's aroma into the wind with their wings. One by one, the giants walked toward a massive pit dug in the center of the city. It was a portal straight to the bowels of hell. They fell in like lemmings over a cliff. The gods counted each one as they tumbled into the pit. After the last monster fell in the pit, the gods sealed the pit forever. For the first time in years, humans enjoyed peace and quiet.

* * *

The seal, however could only hold the pit closed for so long. Descendants of the gods could feel it in the earthquakes shaking East Asia. It wouldn't be long before the seal finally broke and the giants shook the earth. On August 6th, 1944, the seal was destroyed when the A-bomb fell.

The scientists in China have diligently worked to create a special "key" to keep the giants sealed in the pit in Hell, ever since. They struggled with spells and charms to keep the seal intact while each successive attempt failed. The keys had been useless.

Finally, in 2010, a successful key was created.


	12. Nothing but Trouble

_Chapter Twelve: Nothing but Trouble:_

 _October 5th, 2010._

Anna stared at the baby. _Poor thing_ , _so little._ She shook her head and sighed. _How did this happen?_ The baby ended up with her and Tsuzuki. Anna gently played with the little toes. _She is kind of cute, though._

Many questions still remained.

-Last Night-

"We have no choice," Tsuzuki told her. "So, we'll keep her here for the time being."

"Why?" Anna asked. "Neither one of us knows how to take care of a baby."

"I know that, but we don't have any options."

"But…" Anna frowned, impatiently tapping her finger on her arm. She had an unspoken fear about the situation that she was not ready to share.

"What do you suggest we do?" Tsuzuki asked. His wife hesitated. He rubbed her between the shoulders.

"See?" he asked. "She's better off here with us." The shinigami rested his hand on her cheek. "It won't be too long. I promise."

-Now-

Anna looked at the sleeping child in the futon next to her. _I really hope this temporary._ She thought. _I don't know what to do._ Looking at the baby's face made her wonder.

"Who would want to make you an orphan, hmm...?" she wondered. The storm was obviously a weapon. It made sense after doing a little research an Okinawa's weather on the night of October 2nd. Nobody else in Japan experienced a storm that intense. As she recalled this information, Anna sweetly studied the baby's sleeping face.

"Do you think the storm was because of you?" she asked. The woman shook her head. _Nah_ , she thought. _Why would they? She's just a baby._ Still, she knew this wouldn't work for too long. Surely this child must have a family somewhere. Maybe an aunt or grandparents looking for her? Anna frowned. There lies another problem.

The bodies in house had no ids on them or anywhere else. Tsuzuki and Hisoka went back to check around the house and found nothing. Further inspection yielded little to no clues either. However, the woman wasn't Japanese.

-Yesterday-

Tsuzuki and Anna sat at their dining table, eating.

"Anything on her parents?" Anna asked.

"No," Tsuzuki answered.

"No?"

He lowered his chopsticks. "We're not sure, but we think the woman was from China."

"How can you tell?"

"Watari examined her teeth, or rather her fangs."

"Fangs?"

"Yes, Watari's running an analysis right now."

"So you're saying the baby's probably…"

"It would appear to be so."

-Present-

"So, it seems that you're possibly a half-caste too," Anna cooed as she held the baby. That's when another thought filled her head. "Oh, you don't even have a name, do you?" she asked the baby. With that, one came to mind.

"Kirika," Anna let slip out.

* * *

 _October 3rd, 2010._

 _11:47 p.m._

A man in a black hoodie broke into the ruined house, making a beeline for the back bedroom. To his disappointment, the room was empty. His gritted his teeth as he dialed his phone.

"Yeah, it's me," he said in Chinese. "Someone beat us here. It's not here. I mean it's gone already. I mean it's gone already. I don't know. I won't panic!" He was cursing under his breath when he disconnected the call. Then, simply vanished.


	13. Bristol Kiss

_Chapter Thirteen: Bristol Kiss:_

Back in Watari's lab, Kyosuke looked over at April. This was going nowhere. Even she was giving up on him. He didn't want that.

"Say, April," Kyosuke spoke up. She didn't even look up.

"Yeah?" she asked. Kyosuke gulped.

"Are you free this Friday?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just figured we could go out for drinks or something."

April put down her pen but didn't make eye contact. "Are you going to wimp out on me again?"

"No!" he yelped. "I will be fine, I swear!"

"You really mean it?"

"Yes," he insisted.

"Fine," she said. "Seven o'clock at the Blue Lounge."

"Thank you," Kyosuke said, bowing his head. As they went back to work, he got a head start on building up his courage.

* * *

 _7:00 p.m._

Kyosuke waited outside the Blue Lounge. He took in slow breaths. _Don't freak out. You can't keep running in circles. I can do this._ Kyosuke looked at his phone.

"Waiting long?" a woman asked. Kyosuke jerked his head upwards. April stood before him, smiling.

"No," he said. "Want to go in?"

"Of course," she said. Kyosuke walked her inside. The high energy music seemed to boost his confidence. She led him to the bar.

"Two Bunraku," she ordered.

"Uh, no thank you," Kyosuke cut in. April gave him a strange look.

"No?" she asked.

"I want to be sober for tonight," he replied.

April raised an eyebrow at him. "What's happening tonight?"

"We'll have to find out." _No, that was lame_ , he thought. April narrowed her eyes as she picked up her drink.

"Uh-huh," she replied. Her tone said, "I don't believe you." Kyosuke forced himself to smile. _I can do this!_

"I really like you," he confessed.

"So, you're said," April said, half-listening.

"No, I mean it!"

"Okay."

"I really do!"

She turned to him with a funny look on her face. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes!" His cheeks burned bright red. _Why can't I say anything else? Come on! Don't screw this up! You were doing so well too!_ April shook her head.

"Prove it," she said. Kyosuke gave her a blank stare.

"How?" he asked.

"I'm not going to tell you."

Kyosuke frowned, furrowing his brow. _I didn't expect this._ The next words just fell out of his mouth.

"Kiss me."

"I'm sorry?" April asked.

His cheeks felt like they were burning. "Just let me kiss you." He sounded so desperate. April brushed her bangs from her face and planted a little kiss on his lips. A baby spark lit up in Kyosuke's chest. He opened his eyes when he felt cold.

"Again," he whispered. April gave him another kiss. Kyosuke's heart felt like it would melt. He could barely feel her pulling away.

"If you want more," she whispered. "Come back to my place." Kyosuke drew his mouth closed. Her voice was all it took for him abandon all nerves.

* * *

Third time should be the charm, right? April unlocked her door. Kyosuke bit his lower lip. _Don't get nervous_ , he thought. _You've been doing so well. Don't get nervous!_ April turned to him, smiling.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I would love to." April led him inside. Kyosuke gulped.

"Could you kiss me again?" he asked in the dark. April moved within inches of him.

"Yes," she said in a low voice. "You can have whatever you like." She planted a deeper kiss on his lips. This time, he pulled her into his arms. She led him up to her room.


	14. Build My Fire

_Chapter Fourteen: Build My Fire:_

April fell back on her bed. Kyosuke huddled over her, panting. This time felt different. He didn't feel like panicking. She pulled him down for a kiss. She reached up and slid off his shirt. A little smirk appeared on her face.

"You were hiding this body from me?" she asked. "Such a shame. You are pretty cute." His cheeks turned light pink. He hadn't thought much about his looks. The only time a girl had called him cute was in junior high.

"Thanks," Kyosuke murmured. April softly moved her finger to his lips.

"Don't talk," she said in a low voice. The British shinigami pressed her lips against his. His hands inched towards her dark blue cocktail dress. He hadn't gotten this far before, but lust added as his guide. It didn't take long for that dress to end up on the floor.

Without thought, Kyosuke's mouth kissed down to April's neck. The taste tickled his hunger fully awake. A little drool buried her right hand in his short black hair. Kyosuke's hands glided around her back. Her body squirming underneath him made it difficult for him to grab onto her bra. She giggled as his fingertips caressed her back.

"Hey come on," Kyosuke complained. "Keep still!"

"I'm sorry," April replied. "It's just a welcome change from the last two times we did this."

"Well, you did show me how the first time," he remarked. Kyosuke finally grabbed hold of her light blue satin bra. _Yes!_ Still, he struggled with the hooks.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Damn it!"

"Take your time," April told him. Her fingertips tickled down to his nape. Her voice added to his fire. One by one, the hooks came apart. Kyosuke smiled once he reached the last hook.

"Got it!" he said. Her bra was tossed across the room. April grabbed Kyosuke by the jeans. He gulped as she unzipped them. _Don't get nervous. You've been doing so well. Keep going!_ Before he knew it, he felt his jeans beings inched downwards. The warmth of her hands made his member stand up in his boxers.

"Easy, boy," April said, chuckling. "We're not to that point yet. There's still a little bit left." His jeans landed on the floor. It didn't take long for his boxers to follow behind. His glasses were the last thing to go. April rolled off her light blue panties and opened her legs, inviting him in.

"Wow!" Kyosuke gasped, blushing. "You're done this before, haven't you?"

"Aw, what's wrong?" she cooed. "Nervous? Afraid?" Kyosuke smirked at her.

"No," he said. "I want this!" Kyosuke grabbed her shoulders. After two tries, he managed to slide himself inside.

 _Speeding._

Kyosuke didn't know what he was doing or how to handle the sensation. His movement relied only on instinct. Adrenaline changed the light green in his mind. April grabbed his body as he started off slow. The two false starts from their previous encounters made tonight rather worth it. _What… What is this?_ The first taste of speeding sexual pleasure proved to be a powerful motive. His mind went blank as he began pounding faster. April's nails dug in his back.

"You're so good!" she shouted. Kyosuke pressed more kisses to her lips. With one push of her tongue into his mouth, Kyosuke let the speed take over his body. His mind went blind with pleasure.

"I… I can't hold it!" he shouted. The climax let the speed run over the limit to a crash. Kyosuke lay over her, panting. April gave him a gentle tap on the nose.

"How did I do?" he asked.

"Very good," April whispered. She gave him a little nib on his ear. A chill raced up the man's spine.

"Can we do this again?" he asked like an excited puppy. The British woman giggled, patting his head.

"Take it one step at a time," she told him. "You finally became a man tonight."

"Can I at least stay here tonight?"

April gave him a little smile. "Sure."

He drew his eyes closed. "I like you."

April's cheeks turned bright pink. "Yeah, yeah." She let him sleep there until morning.


	15. The Morning Over Our Love

_Chapter Fifteen: The Morning Over Our_ _Love:_

 _October 1st, 2010._

Their fourth victim was a local known pervert. Many tried to avoid him. She had seen him before.

"He's worse than my old man," she complained. She shuddered as the memories returned. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What if we killed him?" he asked. She looked him straight into his dark grey eyes.

"What?" she asked. "We can do that?"

"Yes," he said. "I know how." She trembled and breathed heavily.

"Show me!"

He kissed on the lips. "Yes, my princess." They stalked him for two nights. They could predict his next movements. He got up, drank, slept, harassed young girls, and got high.

"Just looking at him makes me want to vomit," she whispered. "When do we kill him?" He kissed her on the neck.

"Soon," he promised. "It has to be the right moment." She held his hand.

"I love you, Katsumi," she said.

"Love you too," he said.

* * *

 _11:50 p.m._

The prey left the bar well past closing time. The bartender had to throw him out.

"Come on," he told the man. "You have to leave! We're closed."

"Listen here, asshole!" he slurred out. "I'll tell you when I'm done!" The poor bartender struggled to push him out the door.

"Sir, please!"

"Shut up!" The drunk swung at him, but fell face sown on the ground. The bartender shook his head. _Idiot._ The door slammed shut. Katsumi and his girl followed the drunk down the alley. Their target collapsed, blacking out in the middle of the street.

* * *

Hours later, the target awoke with a throbbing headache in the darkness. "What… Where am I?" His eyes searched for any sign of familiarity. Deep snickering drew their upwards. Katsumi stood over him, grinning. His girlfriend held a lit match over their target.

"Well, well!" Katsumi boomed. "Look who finally woke up!" The drunken pervert tried to speak, but found his mouth taped shut. On top of that his hands and feet were bound with bike chains. Katsumi snickered.

"Aw, what's the rush?" he asked. "Stay. Enjoy our humble little home!" The girlfriend broke into laughter.

"Baby," Katsumi said. "You get to pick the first game." She broke into giggles.

"Can we set him on fire?" she asked.

"Not yet."

"Aww, but I want to see him go up in flames!"

"And you will. Just save that for last."

"Ah!" She looked down at the bounded and gagged target. The whole time they talked, he panicked with big eyes. She laughed at the fear in his eyes.

"Baby," she said. "Get me the hammer!"

"Yes, my princess!" her boyfriend cheered. She giggled. Katsumi handed her the hammer and watched as she slammed it on the target's nuts. He let out muzzled scream. She stood up, smiling.

"You're right," she said. "This makes it so much better." She smashed the pervert's cock four more times with the hammer. Tears streamed from his eyes. She stood up wiping her brow. Katsumi lit a cigarette and burned it into the man's neck. His girlfriend squealed, clapping.

"More, more!" she shouted. He drew out his knife and flipped it open. The target tried to squirm away when he saw the gleam of the blade.

"Good morning, Vietnam!" Katsumi shouted in broken English. One stab to his abdomen was all it took to summon the box's full darkness. The act ended with the lit match dropped on the victim. Sake and gasoline sure make things burn faster. The lovers shared a kiss over the burning corpse.

"I love you, Katsumi-kun!" his girl exclaimed.

"I love you too, Miki-chan!" he said. She giggled before kissing him again.


	16. Wolf Innocence

_Chapter Sixteen: Wolf Innocence:_

-Vivian-

I'm in a confusing place right now. I don't know what to say around him. Today made it no different. It started out with a knock on his door.

"Mike!" I shouted. "Get up! Breakfast is ready!" I frowned at the grumbling behind the door.

"Mike!" When the door finally opened, my jaw dropped. He didn't have a shirt on and… and… my face turned red as my eyes widened. His abs looked shaped for a male underwear model. Mike furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

"What?" he asked. My mouth moved up and down, but no words came out. Mike waved his hand in my face.

"Hello?" he asked. I gulped with big eyes.

"Uh…" I muttered.

"Viv?"

I shook my head wildly. "Uh… uh… Breakfast is ready!" I took off running down the hall.

"Okay…" I heard him mumble. I raced to my room and slammed the door. I sank to the floor, panting. What was that? How could he come to the door like… like… that?! What the hell? He needs to have some decency! My mind couldn't let go of his abs. Drool slipped from my lips. He did look rather hot, though. I instantly felt like kicking myself for thinking that.

* * *

When I didn't feel like crawling under a rock anymore, I walked down to the kitchen. _I can handle this_ , I thought. _I just need to act normal. That should happen again, right?_ Sadly, that only lasted two seconds after seeing Mike, Hotaru, and Kazue at the table. One look at Mike's face made mine turn bright red. It didn't help that they all stared at me.

"Are you feeling okay?" Hotaru asked.

"Yes!" I yelped. "I'm fine! Really I am!"

"Mike, what did you do?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" he shouted. "She came by my room and acted like that when I opened the door."

"You had no shirt on!" I yelled. Hotaru gave me a cat-like smile.

"Did you like what you saw?" she asked.

"Shut up!" I cried. I could feel the steam coming out of my ears.

"Hotaru!" Mike hissed. Hotaru broke into laughter. Even baby Akira gave her a funny look from his highchair. Kazue rolled her eyes over her rice.

"It's not funny!" I shouted. Hotaru gave me sweet like baby eyes.

"Aw, what?" she cooed. "Why can't you just come out and say it?"

"Say what?" I asked. Hotaru put her hand over her mouth, giggling. _She's enjoying my suffering, isn't she?_ She pushed it over the edge when she said the next thing.

"That you like Mike," Hotaru said. Mike spat his tea all over the table.

"What?!" I cried.

"Oh come on! I've seen how you two act around each other." Hotaru resisted the urge to squeal. "Just end up together already."

Mike might as well have been hit by a train. "Are you out of your mind?!" He drew his mouth closed when her expression asked, "Do I look like I'm joking?" I backed away to the door. I didn't know whether to faint or scream.

"I… I…" I mumbled. Hotaru raised an eyebrow.

"You?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I… I'm just going to go!" I blurted out. I turned and rushed to the front door.

"Vivi?" Hotaru asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out to eat this morning!" I shouted. I put on my shoes and headed out the door. Mike's confusing as hell already. I don't need Hotaru making thing worse!


	17. New Neighbors

_Chapter Seventeen: New Neighbors:_

-Downtown Tokyo-

Meanwhile, Lucy and Jared just got new neighbors. The goth wife was peeking out the front door one Saturday morning.

"Babe, look!" she said.

"What is it?" Jared asked from the living room.

"Come look!"

Her husband came up behind her, peeking out. Next door, two men were moving in. One looked like a Japanese bouncer with his tone muscles and torn jeans. The black Dir en Grey t-shirt and silver hoop earring gave off a commanding bad boy appearance. The man looked more like a woman. Lucy tilted her head.

"Think she's his girlfriend?" she asked.

"She looks too dudely," Jared said, narrowing his eyes. Lucy turned her head.

"So you're saying it's a guy?" she asked.

"Don't know," her husband said.

"Want to go see?"

He put his arm around her shoulders. "Let's do that." The couple walked over to the apartment next door.

* * *

Tai had just unlocked the door to the new apartment when someone tugged on his shirt.

"What?" he asked.

"New neighbors," Lenard whispered. His roommate turned and spotted Lucy and Jared walking towards them.

"Hey ya!" Lucy shouted. Tai gave her a puzzled looked as he waved.

"Hi…" he mumbled.

"We live next door," she told him. "I'm Lucy and this is my husband, Jared."

"Yo," Jared replied.

"Okay… Well, I'm Tai and this is my roommate, Lenard," he said. Lenard slowly put up his hand to wave.

"Don't mind him," Tai said. "He's a bit shy at times."

"I see," Lucy said. "So when did you get here?"

"This morning," he answered. The whole time, Jared kept his eyes on Lenard. The skinny blond had hips like a woman, but almost flat-chested. He had to come out and say something.

"Are you two together?" he asked.

"Huh?" Tai asked, big-eyed.

"You know, are you…?" Jared asked again.

"No, no!" Lenard shouted. "We're not dating! We're just roommates!"

"Oh!" Jared said.

"Right," Lucy cut in. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Lenard answered.

"Nice. Why not stop by our place for breakfast?" she offered. The men shifted their eyes back and forth.

"We won't bite," Jared said with a grin. Tai dropped his shoulders.

"Sure," he said. "You are the first people we've met so far. It couldn't hurt, right?" Lenard looked up rather nervous. Tai patted him on the arm as if to comfort here. The men followed the couple into their apartment next door. As they walked, Lucy had the sudden urge to play cupid with her new neighbors. First, she needed a little background on the potential lovers.


	18. Questions for Love

_Chapter Eighteen: Questions for Love:_

-Charlotte-

So many paths still awaited me. The ones I want to take involve Takashi. He doesn't see them himself. He doesn't see them himself. He's just too innocent. I didn't know how to push him forward.

"Takashi," I spoke up. "What do you think of me?"

"You're nice," he said. "Really pretty and I like you."

"In what way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like a man likes a woman."

"I… don't… know…"

I sighed. "Never mind." Takashi doesn't get it and I don't know how to get him to see it. Truth is, I want to start a relationship with him. Sadly, his mind is too naïve for things like relationships and love.

I leaned back in the bathtub. Maybe, I could show him what romance is. Yet, somehow that wouldn't be a good idea. I already took his virginity. I don't want him to end up fallen. Still, I found myself drawn to him after that night. That's where I ended up stuck. I picked up my cell phone. _One missed call?_ I didn't recognize the number. _Wrong number, perhaps?_ I cleared the notification and dialed up the Rose Club.

"Hello?" a voice of comfort asked.

"Mama?" I asked.

"Char-chan! How have you been?"

"I'm good. Listen, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

I pressed my lips together, thinking about how to say this. "Well… How do I win a man over?"

"Char-chan! You shouldn't have trouble winning over a man."

"This one is different. He just can't seem to get it."

"Is he gay?"

"No, no! It's nothing like that! He's…" _…an angel? …clueless about human emotions?_ I pressed my lips together. "…different."

"I'm not following."

"It's complicated. Can you help me out?"

"Sure."

"Thank you so much!"

* * *

I found Takashi in his room. Mama said that I had to be direct with him. I can't come out and drop it on his head.

"Takashi," I said. "I really like you."

"What?" he asked. I saw down next to him, putting my arm around his shoulders.

"I really like you," I said in his ear.

"Char-chan?" he asked.

"Shhh." I moved his hand to my breasts. "Feels nice, huh?"

"I guess…"

I nuzzled him on the cheek. He didn't try to push me off. However, he didn't move either. I don't think he knew what to do. I drew him in closer.

"I really do like you," I whispered. "I just don't know how to get you to understand." I turned his face towards me. "Kiss me."

"Char-chan…"

"Please?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I shushed him as he opened his mouth. "It's alright." He pressed his lips against mine. I felt a little bit of something this time.

"What do we do now?" he whispered.

"Kiss me again," I said. He gave me another kiss.

"Again," I said. Takashi kissed me on demand. The more I ordered it, the more he gave. This could work for now. I can lead him in with baby steps. I slowly pulled away.

"Love me back," I said. Takashi kissed me again. I buried my fingers in his dark hair.

This turned out to be night one of my charm to draw him in.


	19. Building Steam with a Grain of Darkness

_Chapter Nineteen: Building Steam with a Grain of Darkness:_

Miki twirled around in the abandoned apartment. "I love you so much, Katsumi-kun!"

Katsumi lay on their futon with beer in his hand. "I love you too, babes."

"You saved me. Without you, I would've killed myself." The dim moonlight shone like a halo upon his girl. "You are savior."

"That's poetry, Miki-chan," Katsumi said.

Miki walked over and crawled on top. "This is fate!" He placed his arm around and waist. She giggled and kissed him on the lips.

"What do we do with her?" Miki asked. The couple turned to their victim across the room. She lay bound and gagged staring at them big-eyed.

"Oh yes," Katsumi said. "What should we do first?"

"I don't know where to start," Miki said. "We can do anything to her, right?" Katsumi gave her a quick kiss.

"Yes," he said.

"Can we cut her face?"

"Go ahead."

"Ooo! I love you so much." Miki climbed off and picked up his knife. The shiny col metal made her shiver. Miki eyed her victim. She sneered at the girl's trembling.

"Your face is too pretty," Miki said. One slash across the nose made the victim scream. Katsumi sat up grinning. Miki snorted.

"Shut up," she said. She took the blade across the victim's left cheek. Blood ran down the blade.

"Who knew skin cut so easily?" Miki asked. Another cut spanned from the victim's forehead to chin. Her cheeks, nose, and eyelids stained her face red. Miki sat back, frowning.

"Now I'm bored," she said. Miki started stabbing the victim in the forehead with the tip of her knife. Katsumi wanted to rush forward and kiss his girlfriend as the victim gave off a muzzled scream.

"Hey, baby," he said. Miki turned her head.

"Yeah?" she asked. Her boyfriend rose to his feet.

"Let me have a turn at her!" He held the beer bottle in his hand. Miki stepped aside.

"Hit it!" she shouted. Katsumi broke his bottle. The victim shut her eyes, shaking. She felt the broken glass ripping across her skin. Katsumi and Miki laughed at her pain. When cutting and poking lost its appeal, Miki picked up a baseball bat and beat the other girl in the head. Her blood splashed onto their special box. Miki lowered her bat.

"Is she dead?" she asked. Katsumi put his fingers to the victim's neck.

"Yep. She's dead."

Miki dropped her shoulder, frowning. "Already? That was boring." The couple froze when they heard a soft click in their room. They whipped around to see their beloved box creaking open.

"What the hell?" Katsumi asked. A deep purple fog crawled out of the crack and snaked over to the body. It made gurgling noises as it transformed into a jelly-like substance. Miki's jaw dropped.

"Katsumi-kun!" she said, gasping. After fifteen seconds, the purple jelly darted back into the black box. With one click of the lock, all that remained was burnt bones, liquefied insides, torn clothes, and duct tape. The couple looked at each other.

"Katsumi-kun, did it just…?" Miki asked.

"Yeah," he said. They had to see that again.


	20. Guessing Game

_Chapter Twenty: Guessing Game:_

-Watari's Lab-

April and Kyosuke waited for their manager to arrive.

"What exactly did he call us over this early for?" Kyosuke asked.

"Beats me," April said. She looked at her phone. "His text sound like he found something big." The assistants lifted their heads when the door opened.

"Good morning, guys!" Watari said.

"What's this about?" Kyosuke asked. Watari held up his hand, smiling.

"Patience," he said. "I just need to make a quick phone call here." The scientist pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" a voice asked on the other line. Watari's eyes lit up.

"Ah, Tsuzuki!" he said. "Just the person I wanted to talk to. Is Hisoka there with you?"

"Yes…"

"Good, I'm putting you on speaker right now." He pressed the button to switch the speaker on. "Can you hear me now?"

"Yes," Tsuzuki and Hisoka said.

"Alright. You're going to play a little game with me," Watari said. April and Kyosuke made perplexed faces.

"What?" Tsuzuki asked.

"What does this have to do with the case?" Hisoka asked.

"Patience," Watari said. "Humor me with this, okay?" His assistants tried to grasp where this was going.

"What are you talking about, Watari-san?" Kyosuke asked.

"Ready?" Watari asked, ignoring him.

"I guess…" Tsuzuki said.

"Great. Which one shall we start with—the corpses or the baby's parents?"

"The parents," Tsuzuki answered.

"Good choice." Watari turned to his assistants. "April, boot up my laptop." The British shinigami stood up and walked over to his desk.

"Good," her boss said. "Now, Tsuzuki."

"What?" his friend asked.

"The father was a human, that's all I know as of right now. I am still running the tests."

"And mother?"

"Ah! Here comes the fun part. First, demon, dragon, or monster?"

"Huh?

"Demon, dragon, or monster? Take a guess."

"I don't know…"

"Come on, guess!"

"Demon?"

"Correct!"

"What?"

Watari glanced behind him. "April?"

She pulled up his research notes. "She was a yaoguai, sir."

"A yaoguai?"

"Her fangs didn't look like any shape I saw in this country. After days of looking through the database and turning up nothing, I decided to widen the search through East Asia. Guess where our yaoguai was from."

"Uh… South Korea?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Try again!" Watari said.

"North Korea?"

"Go further inland."

"China?" Hisoka asked.

"You're close," Watari said. "Try Hong Kong."

"Hong Kong?!" the shinigami on the other line asked.

"Apparently, that little baby is half yaoguai."

"But what's a yaoguai doing in Japan?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Hold on," his friend said. "One issue at a time. I still don't have any ids on the bodies."

"So… are you going to call the Ju-Oh-Cho in Hong Kong?"

"Probably. Oh, there's something else."

"Something else?"

"Yeah," Watari said. He turned to Kyosuke in the lab. "Hand me the test results." Kyosuke stood and bowed.

"I got back the baby's blood test results," Watari said to the phone. Kyosuke handed him the paper.

"Thank you," the scientist said, taking the paper. "I noticed a peculiar spike."

"Does it have to do with her being half-yaoguai?" Tsuzuki asked.

"No. I have never seen anything like it before."

"Does the mom have the same?"

"No."

"No?"

"I don't even know where to start."

"That is strange."

"We are still working on it."

"Anything on our case?" Hisoka asked. Watari grinned.

"Where do you want me to begin?" he asked.


	21. Hunt for the Rat

_Chapter Twenty-One: Hunt for the Rat:_

For months, Ju-Oh-Cho have been mole hunting. The investigation went in circles. Today, Meifu held a meeting.

"Where is any information on our mole?"

"We're still working on it, sir," Konoe said. No one could really trust anyone at work. Word spread to the top in days.

"This is irresponsible!"

"How could you let this happen?"

"How will you take responsibility?" Konoe sat silent. Already, his division had a long laundry list to tackle. The Eda-Kimoto clan sat at the top. Tsuzuki came in second place. The baby, current case, and the pole piled on.

"It's bad enough that Tsuzuki into the clan as it is."

"He shouldn't have resurrected Anna."

"Now she can't be judged because the Mother has merged with her." Ah yes, that issue. By now, more of Meifu tolerated Tsuzuki's marriage to Anna. Enma-Daioh only allowed it because Tsuzuki had been happier over the past year.

"This could work to our advantage," he said. Still, others didn't enjoy this set-up.

"She should be judged!"

"Tsuzuki should be fired!" They say things like that, but no action has been taken. Nobody knows what to do. Probably because of the mess that keeps piling up.

"Okay, one problem at a time here!"

"Right." A little order returns to the meeting. Konoe sits, listening. Taking Tsuzuki and Hisoka off the case wasn't enough. The former tried to eavesdrop on the Tokyo Division for clues. Nothing Konoe id could stop him. Right now, the rat came first.

"We need to scan every shinigami in Ju-Oh-Cho."

"That would take hours!"

"What else can we do?"

"We will take a vote now." Konoe happened to look at the doorway and notice a woman waiting. He had never seen this pretty blonde before and she didn't look Japanese. _How long has she been there?_ He would've known of any new arrivals on the Ju-Oh-Cho staff. Maybe the scan would be a good idea.

"All in favor, raise your hands!" The whole room raised their hands. Konoe did likewise.

"All oppose?" No one raise their hands.

"The motion passes!" The hunt for the rat became serious with one vote. The woman in the door vanished after the vote was taken.

Back in Watari's lab…


	22. Purple Toxic

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Purple Toxic:_

"Dis a little research and came across something interesting, Watari said. He glanced behind him. "April, pull up that article for me if you will."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Rare collectable box missing from antique shop. The daughter of murdered owner has reported a cursed box stolen from home and shop." April turned to Watari. "Do you want me to keep going?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. The only other thing stolen was cash from and store merchandise were untouched."

"Thank you, April."

"Okay, what about this antique shop?" Hisoka asked.

"Ah!" Watari said. "I did a little research on this shop. Does Keiko-sama's Treasures ring any bells?"

"Vaguely," Tsuzuki said. "Was it one of our previous cases?"

"It probably was," his friend said. "Anyway, this store not only sold antiques, but cursed items."

"Cursed items? You're saying that whatever was stolen was…"

"It seems that way."

"What was stolen?" Hisoka asked.

"Abaddon's box."

"What is that?"

Watari turned to his lab assistants. "Kyosuke, care to pull up my notes?"

"Yes, sir." Kyosuke took over for April at the laptop.

"Got it up?" Watari asked.

"Yes, sir," Kyosuke said. Watari walked over to the laptop.

"In the 1950's, two archaeologists dug up Abaddon's Box somewhere in England. Nobody knows its origin. Rumor has it that it's changed hands many times since 1959."

"So you're saying the box might have something to do with these murders?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I will look into this angle a little bit further," Watari said. "We are still collecting information on the murders and Abaddon's Box."

"Where's the box now?" Hisoka asked.

"I'm one step ahead of you!" Watari said. "I drew a tracker for the box." Kyosuke and April frowned in the background.

"Okay, thanks," Tsuzuki said.

"Anything else?" Hisoka asked.

"No," Watari said. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks, Watari," Tsuzuki said.

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

After hanging up, Watari shifted his focus towards April and Kyosuke. "Well, don't just sit around doing nothing! Close up everything and get to work! We have to help them wrap up this case!"

"Yes, sir!" they said. Another work day began in Watari's lab.


	23. The Viper's Teeth

_Chapter Twenty-Three: The Viper's Teeth:_

-Victoria, Hong Kong-

In an office behind a popular nightclub, the boss gritted his teeth.

"We spent sixty-five years and countless Hong Kong dollars went into making this key!" he shouted. "How the fuck did you screw this one up?!"

"Someone must have beaten us there, sir!" a man in black complained. "Even the bodies were gone."

"The storm drew too much attention!" another gangster shouted.

"We had no other choice! We needed to make the deaths look natural."

"You're lucky you didn't kill the key!"

The boss clenched his teeth. "Enough!" The room became quiet and he rubbed his forehead. From jump, this project traveled down an uneven road. After Japan's surrender in WWII, descendants of the Chinese gods scrambled to keep the gates to the pit sealed forever. One man, Delun, suggested making a key to solve the problem. The other descendants weren't quick to jump on broad.

"How will we do that?" they asked. Delun had his own warped ideas about fixing the problem.

"Who else knew about the key?" the boss asked.

"Nobody, boss," the man in the hoodie answered. "Those two did an amazing job staying hidden from our Japan branch." All eyes glared at him.

"What?" he asked. "It's impressive if you think about it." The boss rolled his eyes, groaning.

Delun put science before humanity. His idea called for actual living beings. The descendants were horrified to about the details.

"You can't do this!" they told him. Still, Delun went ahead with his experiments. His only problem? He lacked the funds to begin.

The boss sighed. "Any plans on retrieving the key?" Nervous chuckles filled the room. His eyes darted between his mobsters.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"Well, boss…" one of them spoke up.

"It disappeared," another one confessed.

"What?" the boss asked.

"We used a tracking spell to help us out."

"And?"

"I don't think it's in this world anymore."

The boss narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying? Is it…?"

"Oh, no, no, no. It's still alive. We already confirmed it."

"So… where is it?"

The mobsters struggled to answer without pissing off the boss any further. One guy's eyes shifted back and forth.

"Well, it's not in this world," he said.

"Okay…" the boss said.

"We last tracked it in Meifu before the signal disappeared," another gangster replied. The boss' nostrils flared.

"What?!" he snapped. "You said it wasn't dead!"

"It's not," another gangster said.

"So how did…?"

"We suspect that a shinigami carried the key into Meifu."

The boss' patience snapped in half. "I don't care how it got there! Just get the key back!"

"Yes, boss!" They rushed out the door, leaving the boss with a pounding headache. _God damn it! We're already come this far! I am not going to fuck this up now!_ He sat back and took a breath.

 _Right…_

-December 24th, 1945-

On Christmas Eve, Delun got a phone call that furthered his blood-soaked path.

"Hello?" he answered that morning.

"Are you Delun?" a man's deep scratchy voice asked.

"Yes, who's asking?"

"Just a _really_ good friend."


	24. Bloody Date Night

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Bloody Date Night:_

Katsumi clicked his lighter in his hand. "Ready to do this?"

Miki giggled. "Yes!"

The couple turned to their latest hostage. Ever since that kill three nights ago, they had to see what their special could do.

"I want to see it again!" Miki said. Katsumi kissed her on the lips.

"Me too," he whispered. She walked over to the bound-up victims. Her lips curved into a smirk.

"Who's going first?" she asked. The gagged victims shook their heads.

"Oh come on," she cooed. "Don't make us draft someone." Her finger moved back and forth between the four bound victims. She savored the fear in their eyes. Miki put her hands on her hips.

"Oh well," she said. "Looks like I'll have to pick." Her finger settled on a skinny boy her age. "You!" The poor soul was dragged by his ankles by Katsumi. The couple stood over their victim, grinning. He held his lighter and she held her nailed bat above her head.

"Ladies first," Katsumi said.

"Gladly," Miki said back. She gave her boyfriend a quick kiss before bringing down the bat on the victim's head. It took one hit to splatter the box. The lid clicked open and the fog rolled out. Miki squealed as the victims' eyes widened.

"Yes!" she shouted. The dark purple ooze ate all but the victim's bones, bits of clothes, and glasses. Their remaining three victims watched horrified when the ooze cleared away. Katsumi howled, clapping his hands.

"That's beautiful!" he shouted.

"Hey baby," Miki said.

"What?" her boyfriend asked. She turned around, grinning like a cat.

"What happens when a person's alive?"

"What?"

"You know…" She turned to the hostages, smiling. Katsumi grinned.

"Ah! How much blood will we need?"

"No idea." Miki picked up Katsumi's knife and walked over to the other male victim in their group.

"Yes," Miki said. "You'll do perfectly." Katsumi held the man over their box.

"Ready baby?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" she yelled. His girlfriend took her knife and ran it down his neck. The blood slowly dripped into the box's lid. Katsumi looked at the small puddle.

"Think it needs more blood?" he asked. Miki tilted her head.

"Maybe," she said. She gave the victim another cut on his arm. More blood landed on the lid.

"Get deeper!" Katsumi shouted.

"But where?" his girl asked.

"I don't know."

"Let's see… Uh…" Miki spotted the man's stomach and stabbed him without a thought. Two more stabs gave them enough blood. The box clicked open and the fog floated out. The victim's eyes widened as he felt himself slipping away.

The woman and child hostages watched panicked as the ooze consumed the half-dead victim. Miki and Katsumi laughed as the box closed up. They turned back to the remaining hostages. Katsumi clicked on his lighter.

"Who's next?" he asked. Miki walked over with the bloody knife in her hand.

"I choose…!" she shouted.


	25. Baby Monster

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Baby Monster:_

Anna ran her finger ran down the bottom of the baby's foot. "A yaoguai?"

"Half," Tsuzuki said.

"I see," his wife said. She looked down at the baby. "You hear that, Kirika-chan? You're a little half-monster."

Tsuzuki tilted his head. "Kirika-chan?"

"I had to give her a name. We just couldn't keep calling her `the baby.'"

"But why `Kirika?'"

"I don't know. I just thought of my aunt when I saw her face."

"Hm…"

Anna frowned. "You don't like it?"

"No, no. It's fine. We can call her Kirika."

"Alright. So what do we do with Kirika-chan?"

"Ah, that."

"Yes."

"Keep her here for now."

"But we don't know how to take care of babies!"

"What choice do we have?" Tsuzuki took in a breath. "Look, it will only be a temporary thing. Watari's still trying to dig up information on Kirika-chan. These things take time."

Anna opened her mouth to argue. When she came up with nothing, she drew her mouth closed. "Fine."

Tsuzuki patted her on the head. "It will be okay." Anna chose to go along with it for now.

"We're going to need more baby supplies," she said.

"I'm on it!" Tsuzuki said.

"I'll make the list." She turned and headed into the kitchen. Her husband shifted to the baby. He picked her up and tilted his head. _Kirika-chan, huh?_ A little smile came on his face. _I can see how that could work._

* * *

-December 24th, 1945-

-Hong Kong-

Delun sat up with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "What?"

"I heard about you project," the man said on the other line. "And I want to help."

Delun lay back on his mattress. "Why?"

"You want to keep the gate sealed, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"I can help you with your project."

Delun raised an eyebrow. "What would you get out of this?"

"Just the joy of keeping this living world around for years to come."

"And?"

"Maybe a little bit of pride."

"Uh-huh… And what would I get out of this little deal?" Delun asked.

"Oh… equipment, money, test subjects, material. Anything that you need for your experiments," the man on the other line said. The scientist frowned.

"What's the catch?" he asked.

"You'll have to come and find me to see," the other man answered.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. Will you take it or not?"

Delun frowned. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not if you want us all to be giant food again."

The scientist groaned as he picked up a pen and notepad. "Fine, give me your address."

"Wise decision, friend."

"Yeah, yeah." Minutes later, Delun walked out of his dorm.


	26. Bad Ideas

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Bad Ideas:_

-Vivian-

I don't know how this happened. Frustrated, I marched over to Mike's room and pounded on the door. I couldn't stand this anymore. I frowned as he opened the door.

"What is it now?" he asked. I puffed up my cheeks.

"You!" I snapped. His expression didn't change.

"Yes?" he asked. I clenched my fists.

"Why do you screw with me?!" I complained.

"Huh?"

"You… You… You just screw me over!"

"How do I do that?"

I let out a choked-up scream. "You're just… there! I see your face everywhere I turn!"

"I live here."

"That's not the point!" I rubbed my forehead. "You!"

"What about me?"

"You are just exhausting!"

Mike's smirk made my face turn bright red. "Here." He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. My brain exploded as my eyes grew wide. Mike pulled back.

"Well?" he asked. I should've yelled at him then and there.

"Viv?" he asked. I broke into panting as I stared at him wide-eyed. Mike waved his hand in my face.

"Viv?" he asked again. Without a thought, I rushed forward and kissed him. He should've pushed me away. I hoped that he would. Instead, he kissed me back and dragged me into his room. I collapsed back onto his bed. He climbed on top of me looking like he hadn't eaten in days. I remembered panicking.

"Wait!" I shouted. Mike stopped short of kissing me.

"Isn't this what you want?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I… I… I don't know! I-!" I said. He silenced me with another kiss. My hands reached for his neck. His lips pulled inches away from mine.

"You have to be sure," he told me. "I don't have time for girls who can't make up their minds." I didn't know if I should slap him or not. The notion seemed moot due to him pinning down my wrists.

"I hate you," I muttered. Strange thing was, I didn't sound angry. I came across as sounding defeated.

"I don't think you mean that," he said. It disgusted me that I knew he was right. Mike climbed off of me and walked to his door. I lifted my head.

"Where are you going?" I asked. That jerk glanced over his shoulder.

"Out," he said. "Come back when you've made up your mind." I gritted my teeth as he slammed the door.

"Damn it, Mike!" I shouted. "Why do you have to be such an asshole?!"


	27. Odd Blue

_Chapter Twenty-Seven: Odd Blue:_

 _September 18th, 2010._

That morning, Watari hit a couple of clues that turned two of three cases on their heads. It started when he got back test results.

"What the…?" That can't be right," Watari said. He immediately got on the phone.

"Hello?" Tsuzuki asked on the other line.

"Oh, good," the scientist said. "I'm so glad I caught you. Is Hisoka with you?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Is he with you right now?"

"Yes…"

"Put him on too."

"Okay…"

"Hello?" Hisoka asked. Watari moved his hand to his mouse.

"What do you want to hear first?" he asked. "The baby or corpses?"

"Kirika-chan," Tsuzuki answered.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka whispered.

"I have to know!" Tsuzuki said.

"Very well," Watari said. "First off, the baby's DNA is a match to the dead couple. They were her parents."

"Alright," Tsuzuki said. "Do we know who they were yet?"

"I've got a hit on the dad." Watari pulled up the file on his laptop. "There is a missing person report filed from Japan on a Himura Aki last week. Apparently, he was last seen going to Hong Kong for a new job."

"Are you sure that that's Kirika's father?"

"I know because according to the report, Himura-san had a tiger tattoo on his back. Our male DB has the same tattoo in exact location. I'm sending you the photos right now." Watari sent both his photo and the young man's tattoo picture from Himura's Facebook page to Tsuzuki's phone.

"Shit! That is an exact match," Tsuzuki said.

"Right down to the flaw in the tiger's mouth," Watari said.

"Anything else on Himura?" Tsuzuki asked.

"His mother was the one who filed the report. It's an active investigation in Osaka."

"Birthplace or current residence?"

"Both, he lived with his mother until he moved to Hong Kong for that job."

"What job was that?" Hisoka asked.

"That's the thing," the scientist said. "It was for a pharmaceutical company in Hong Kong, but most of the information is sealed."

"Sealed?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," Watari said. "Even the name of the company is blocked. The same thing is happening to their web site." Watari brought up another file on his laptop. "That reminds me, I got back Kirika's blood test this morning. There's a peculiar spike in the coding."

"Well she is half yaoguai after all."

"That's not it. Her mother didn't have this spike."

"Huh?" Tsuzuki asked.

"So far, I haven't been able to identify it," Watari said. "That's not the strangest thing. Her father had the same spike in his blood."

"What?"

"Are you sure Himura-san was human?" Hisoka asked.

"Yes," Watari said. "The test confirmed it. I'm thinking the spike came from the job at that pharmaceutical company.

"Anything on Kirika's mother?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Nothing yet," Watari said. "No one's even reported her missing."

"What about our case?" Hisoka asked.

"Ah, yes," Watari said. "You'll want to hear this." He switched files on his laptop again. "I managed to get hold of one of the bodies from your case. On one of them, I noticed a black soot-like residue on the bones. I swabbed a sample and ran a test."

"And?" Tsuzuki asked.

"It's just as we thought," the scientist said. "This is the work of Abaddon's Box."

"How is it doing this?"

"According to my notes here, the box essentially eats corpses. The target's blood has to hit the box's surface for it to activate. A demon smokes out and eats the target's body, leaving behind bones and bits of clothing."

"That sounds scary!" Tsuzuki said.

"Any way to track Abaddon's Box?" Hisoka asked.

"Sure there is, hang on," Watari said. He clicked through his notes. "From what I learned, Abaddon's Box has an old demonic mark carved into the lid. I'm still looking up which one though."

"Okay, thanks," Tsuzuki said.

"Please keep us posted," Hisoka said.

"I will do my best to do so," Watari said. "Goodbye." He hung up and went back to work.

However, someone silently watched him from the hall.


	28. I Want to be Loved

_Chapter Twenty-Eight: I Want to be Loved:_

-Charlotte-

The waiting was the worst part. Takashi still didn't seem to get it. I shouldn't be surprised since he is an angel. I don't want to come off as aggressive. Still, I'm running out of ideas. Kissing worked, but now I want more. How do I coax him into it? Tonight, I counted down to our ritual.

-Takashi-

I knew what was coming next when I heard my bedroom door open. I couldn't help but smile.

"Is it time?" I asked.

"Yes," Char-chan said. I lifted my head as I noted a hint of sorrow in her tone. "What's the matter?"

"Do you love me?" she asked.

"Char-chan…"

"Please?" She leaned in and kissed me. The way she grabbed my shirt didn't reach me. I still couldn't understand what she wants. She turned my face towards me.

"It hurts," Char-chan said. "I don't know how to get you to love me back."

"Char-chan…" I pulled her into my arms. "I do love you."

"In what way?"

"I'm sorry?"

She pressed her cheek to my chest. "That's the problem. You don't exactly _my_ love."

"Can you make me understand?"

"It's not easy. I can't do it in words. I would have to show you." Her chin rested on my chest. "But if you I do that, I would corrupt you further."

"Please show me."

"No." Her cheek rested on my chest. "I did that once. Anymore would be pushing it."

"Please." Something about her words stirred something inside of me. I held her in my arms. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

"I'm crying!"

"Shhh." I wouldn't let her go. Maybe this was the "love" she was talking about.

"Takashi-kun," Char-chan murmured.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Why are you so good to me?"

I wrapped my arms around her curved body. "I guess… I think I `love' you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Takashi-kun." She gave me a kiss on the chest. I still didn't understand it, but I liked how this felt. Is this `love?'

-Charlotte-

I don't know if I reached him or not, but I will keep trying. For now, I can settle for this.

"I love you, Takashi-kun," I whispered. As expected, he didn't reply like I had hoped.


	29. Animal Magic

_Chapter Twenty-Nine: Animal Magic:_

Katsumi ran his thumb down the bridge of Miki's nose. "Tonight will be our ritual." Miki giggled. Katsumi stood up and walked over to their stolen cd player. He had an audience of two tonight: his girlfriend and another girl their age. Their hostage lay on the ground naked and bound. Katsumi smirked as he hit play.

"These are the times that try men's soul," he mouthed with the song of choice. "In the course of our nation's history people rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis is arisen. Citizens, hear me out, this could happen to you!" Their hostage didn't understand English, but she didn't like the sight of the knife that Katsumi held up. He let off a bellowing scream as he charged towards her. She let out a gagged-up scream. Miki clapped her hands at the first stab. She walked over and embraced him from behind.

"Do it again!" she purred in his ear. Katsumi grinned and stabbed their victim again. Blood leaked through the ropes on her stomach. Miki slapped her hard.

"Oi!" she snapped. "Don't die on us yet! We're only getting started here!" Katsumi kicked the victim in the stomach. She let out a gagged-up whimper. Miki nibbled her boyfriend on the ear.

"I love you," she whispered. She kissed him on the cheek. He gently patted her hand.

"I love you too, babe," Katsumi said. He stabbed the victim in the shoulder.

"Again!" Miki cheered. "Again!" Katsumi gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Where should I put it?" he asked. Their target's eyes widened.

"Hm…" the girlfriend said. "What place has the most blood?" Her boyfriend looked at her, smirking.

"You don't mean…?" he began to ask.

"Yes!" Miki let go of him and wandered over to their futon. "Let's see… Where did it go?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Don't do anything until I find it."

"Fine," Katsumi said.

"Thanks, babe," she said. Miki located the box in the closet. "Ah, yes. Here it is." She pulled out Abaddon's Box and placed it by the victim's body.

"Go for it!" she shouted. Her boyfriend saluted her.

"Yes ma'am!" he shouted. He turned to their victim. She breathed hard through her nose as the blade moved back and forth in front of her body. Katsumi smirked as he settled just above her chest.

"Yes, this will be perfect," he murmured. One fast stab and blood landed on the box's lid.

"Yeah, baby!" Miki shouted. She rushed over and kissed her boyfriend on the lips. He grabbed her on the ass in return.

"Ooo!" Miki cooed. "Do me! Do me as it eats her alive!" Katsumi kissed her on the forehead.

"Whatever you like!" he said.

"Yay!" she squealed. The victim's eyes darted around the room as she heard a click noise. Katsumi picked up Miki by her hips. The smoky demon sailed out of its prison towards the poor bound girl. Katsumi threw his lover down on the cot. Luckily, they were already naked for this. The couple kissed on the lips when the demon completely flew out of the box. Their victim tried to struggle away as the black cloud turned into ooze rushing towards her. Katsumi slid his cock into Miki's pussy as the demon began to feed. Their victim's death made for entertainment while they made love. Katsumi gave into climax when the bound woman was reduced to bones and duct tape.

"Oh my god!" he shouted. Miki moaned aloud.

"Baby!" she cried. Her boy collapsed next to her, panting.

"You are so great!" she said. "I love you so much!" Katsumi ran his thumb down the bridge of her nose, smiling.

"Do you want more of this?" he asked.

"Yes!" Miki shouted. He laughed and kissed her again. The bones lay on the other side of the room already abandoned.


	30. Tiger Blush

_Chapter Thirty: Tiger Blush:_

 _December 24th, 2009._

Himura Aki felt out of place. He thought Hong Kong would give him a fresh start. Aki grew tired of life in Japan. He wasn't doing much in his twenties. He had no job or girlfriend. His mother still smothered him. For him, nothing had changed since high school.

Aki sighed at the bar. His friend was the one who suggested the job offer.

"Come on man," he said. "It'll be good for you. You need the money."

"I'm not sure," Aki told him on the street.

"Man, what's here for you in Osaka? You had no chance with Sayaka from day one. You're twenty-one and still living with your mom. Plus, you're broke."

"True…"

"Hong Kong would be good for you."

"But it's so far away…"

"Hey, better than wasting away in Osaka doing nothing."

Aki pondered his options. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a change in pace. I'll do it." His friend patted him on the back.

"You won't regret it, man," he said.

Six months later, Aki sat in a nightclub called Keiko Taste, isolated and feeling sick. This medical trial was supposed to last for five weeks in May to June. Even his friend started to ask questions in October. Now in December, Aki felt trapped.

He stared at his cell phone. _Ma and Michiro would be too busy this evening._ Aki looked at everyone partying in the club. _Why did I come here again?_ He sighed over his drink.

Suddenly, a pair of elegant hands rested on the bar next to him. Aki turned his head with big eyes. She looked like an angel. The brightly colored lights skipped around on her face. Aki felt his cheeks turn light pink. Crystal flowers held her long black hair back in a ponytail. He wanted to kiss those bright red lips of hers. Aki put up his hand to wave. The woman next to him didn't look up.

"Bar tender, I would like the usual," she spoke up.

"Coming up," the bar tender said. Aki tried again to get the stunning Hong Kong beauty's attention. She didn't even look at him as he waved at her. The woman picked up her glass and took a drink.

"I'm sorry, did you want something?" she asked. Aki about fell off his bar stool.

"Whoa, there," the woman said. "Usually, I get that reaction _after_ I make my move."

"Can I buy you a drink?" Aki asked when he recovered his nerve.

"I already have a drink."

"Well, can I buy you another one?"

The women giggled. "Sure."

Aki felt like flying away. "Wow…"

"Though, I am curious about something," she said.

"What?"

"Why's a cute guy like you spending Christmas alone in a nightclub instead of with family?"

Aki shrugged his shoulders. "Just unlucky, I suppose." He swished his glass around in small circles. "I could ask you the same thing. What's a beautiful lady like you doing alone on Christmas Eve?"

The woman in red giggled over her drink. "I'm like you, I suppose."

"You? Unlucky? I find that hard to believe."

"You'd be surprised." The bar tender returned to fill their glasses.

"Well, why don't you spend Christmas with me?" Aki offered. The woman in red raised an eyebrow at her new acquaintance.

"Me? Spend Christmas with you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I mean if you want to." The stunning woman in red picked up her sugared cherry and put it in her mouth.

"And then do what?" she asked. Aki shrugged his shoulders.

"Do whatever, I suppose," he said. She chewed on her cherry before swallowing.

"Why should I say yes?"

"I mean what do you have to lose?" To him, that was the worst argument that he could come up with to woo a girl. He expected her to turn him down. To his surprise, the lady in red smiled.

"Sure, why not?" she asked. "I don't have anything better to do." Aki could've flown to the sky. Instead, he gave her a goofy, boyish smile.

"My place?" he asked. The woman finished her drink. She tried to pay her tab, but Aki stopped her.

"A lady shouldn't have to pay on the first date," he said. The woman tilted her head, raising an eyebrow.

"So this is a date now?" she asked.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked.

"Whatever," his "date" brushed off. They left the nightclub after Aki paid their tab.

* * *

 _-Present Day-_

Back in the office of the nightclub called Blue Girl, the boss received good news over the phone.

"Hello?" he asked. "You found it? Where? I will be there to pick up the key for testing." He hung up, grinning. _There is hope for Asia yet,_ he thought. _We might all be saved._


	31. Hong Kong Tangles

_Chapter Thirty-One: Hong Kong Tangles:_

 _-Ju-Oh-Cho, Japan-_

Watari returned to his lab from picking up lunch to discover a nasty surprise. His computer gave him the blue screen of death when he walked in.

"Oh, no, no, no!" he shouted, running towards his laptop. Watari managed to save his computer and most of the data just in time. He sighed in relief.

"Whew," the scientist said. "That was close." After checking his data again, he could relax. Sadly that didn't last when he noticed a note icon on his desktop. _What's this?_ Against his better judgement, he clicked on the file. A large siren noise blasted his ears loud enough to knock him to the floor.

"Damn it!" Watari shouted, covering his ears. The siren drew the attention of three more people.

"What's going on here?!" Tatsumi shouted. The scientist turned his head. The secretary stood with April and Kyosuke in the doorway.

"Mute it!" Watari yelled.

"What?!" Kyosuke yelled back.

"Mute it! Mute my laptop! Hurry!"

"Right!" Kyosuke ran to the laptop and hit mute. Watari pulled himself to his feet, panting.

"Thank you, Kyo-san," he said.

"Hey, Watari-san," his assistant spoke up. "There's something written in this document here."

"What?" the scientist asked. He, April, and Tatsumi walked over to the laptop. Watari narrowed his eyes.

"What the… huh?" he asked. "This is as far as you go, friend?"

"What does that mean?" Tatsumi asked. The color drained from Watari's face.

"Move aside!" he said. The scientist pushed Kyosuke out of the way before the assistant could ask.

"Boss?" Kyosuke asked. Watari clicked around at his data on his laptop. When he came to the files on Baby Kirika, the laptop shut down.

"What just happened?" April asked.

"I knew it," her boss mumbled under his breath. All eyes fell upon him. Watari pressed his lips together as he prepared an explanation.

* * *

Watari gathered Tatsumi, Kyosuke, and April around a table while he ran virus scan on his laptop. The scientist sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead.

"I should've seen this coming," he said.

"What's going on?" Tatsumi asked. Watari lowered his shoulders.

"I was looking into more information on that pharmaceutical company in Hong Kong," Watari explained. "I did find a lead."

"And?" April asked.

"You saw what happened," the scientist said. "I think I was hacked." He sat back in his chair. "Someone's going to extreme lengths to hide this pharmaceutical online." Tatsumi was about to speak up when Watari's cell phone rang.

"Excuse me," the blonde scientist said. He pulled his phone out of his coat. The others watched as he disappeared into the hall.

"Hello?" Watari asked as he closed the door.

"Drop the case on the key or your laptop won't be our only target!" a voice hissed on the other line. Watari became confused upon hearing this.

"Who is this? What key?" he asked.

"You've got twenty-four hours to shut down your research!" The other line went silent. Watari stared at his phone. _What the hell?_

* * *

Meanwhile, a young Chinese woman knocked on Tsuzuki and Anna's front door. She paced around, biting her lower lip.


	32. Isabel

_Chapter Thirty-Two: Isabel:_

Who was Isabel? Not many remembered when she first came to Ju-Oh-Cho. Many didn't know where she came from either. She didn't socialize much with any coworkers. Everyone had so many guesses about her.

She first started working in Ju-Oh-Cho back in late October. No questions were asked about her background. She only had one interview that day and she was hired on the spot.

"You have impressive record," the boss said.

"Thank you, sir," she said. Isabel got in with no problems. She didn't work in the field as requested. Isabel stayed mostly in the office.

"Why doesn't she talk so much?"

"Maybe she's mute."

"Nah, maybe she's too shy." A couple of ladies tried to make friends with Isabel. She did talk to them, but nothing more.

"Have tea with us," they offered. She smiled and shook her head.

"Nah, I'm good," the blond shinigami said. "I've got some work to catch up on."

"You are such a workaholic, Isabel-san," they told her.

"Yes, I am," she would say. Today would be no different. When the ladies were gone, she went back into her office. Once alone, Isabel got on her phone. She sat down at her desk, waiting.

"Mama?" she asked. "How are you doing? Me? I'm doing well. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. I see. How is my brother? Oh. Maybe I should come up to see you then. No trouble. Really, it's fine. I'll talk to the boss about it. Mama, it'll be fine. It's fine, I swear it. I'll come by in three days' time. No trouble. No trouble. I will see you soon. Give my love to my brothers. Kiss my Cherry Pop." Isabel blew a kiss and hung up, sighing. _Whew! I don't know much longer I can keep this up._

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up, knocking on the door. The gaijin shinigami darted up.

"Yes?" she asked. One of the shinigami from the Tokyo Division gave her an odd look.

"We're having a meeting downstairs. Are you coming?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I'll be there in one second. Go on without me."

"Are you okay?"

Isabel waved him off, nodding. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Okay…" he mumbled. Her coworker headed down the hall. Isabel sat back in her chair. She always knew that her time about to be up. The shinigami reached into her jacket and pulled out a small baggie. _This is all I have left for the spell_ , Isabel thought. _They're also catching on._ She bit her lower lip. _Please hurry, Mama. I don't know how much longer I can keep up the mission before I get caught._ She took a deep breath and headed down the hall for the meeting.

Just who was Isabel, exactly?


	33. Christmas Lust

_Chapter Thirty-Three: Christmas Lust:_

-Victoria, Hong Kong-

 _December 25th, 2009._

 _2:00 a.m._

Aki lay in bed with his date, playing cards. Their clothes scattered the floor.

"Ha!" his date shouted. "I win again!" Aki groaned, cradling his head.

"What's matter?" his date asked.

"How come you're not as drunk as I am?" Aki complained. His date giggled.

"I have a higher tolerance than you," she said. The Japanese man groaned with red, drunk cheeks. She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Aw, here," his date said. She pressed two fingers against his forehead. With a small ripple, Aki perked up.

"Hey!" he said. "I'm not drunk anymore!" His eyes trailed back over to his date. "What did you do?"

"Oh, drained the alcohol from your body," she said. "You won't be hungover in the morning."

"How did you do that?"

She gently placed her finger to his lips. "It's a secret."

"But-"

"Shhh."

"But-"

"Shhh!"

Aki finally gave up. "Alright."

"Thank you." She picked up her cards. "I won again."

Aki gave her a puzzled look. "Really?"

"Yes." She showed him her hand.

"Oh, so you did," Aki said. "Looks like you get another prize." He reached over for another bottle of Blue Girl under the bed and handed it to his date. To his surprise, she pushed it back.

"No?" Aki asked, eyebrow raised. She stretched out her arms.

"I'm bored with booze," his date said. "I want something else."

"Like what?" he asked. She leaned in close enough for their lips to nearly touch.

"Please me again," she said. "This time, do a better job." His lower lip trembled.

"But… I… don't even know your name," Aki murmured. Her lips curved into a little smile. Her lips curved into a little smile.

"It's Ngo-Kwang," she whispered. "Ngo-Kwang." The saucy Hong Kong beauty pushed him back onto his bed, kissing him. Aki wrapped his arm around her as her thighs came on either side of him. Ngo wasted no time riding him. She did this the night before, but he got nervous. He went limp inside of her and couldn't perform well. This time felt different. From hearing his heart beat, she could tell he relaxed.

 _He let me in!_ Her excitement drove her to pound fast from the start. Aki threw back his head, moaning.

"Wow!" he shouted. "This is so much better!" She leaned down for another kiss. She had to admit, he tasted sweeter sober. Usually, Ngo-Kwang are her sexual partners after sleeping with them. She couldn't understand what made Aki so different. He had this charm she couldn't explain. _Who are you?_ Ngo slipped her tongue his mouth. The sensation made his hips jump to keep up with her rhythm. When the sheets wouldn't contain him, Aki reached up and grabbed onto her hips. The sensations felt so powerful that he could've sworn he was having a heart attack in the middle of the ride. However, the pleasure block out excessive pain.

 _Let me die happy!_ His moans in her mouth reflected his thoughts. Luckily, Aki didn't have to die so early on Christmas morning. Ngo broke off the kiss, looking him in the eye.

"Say you love me," she purred. Aki struggled with his breath to speak.

"But I…" he said.

"Say it."

"I… I love you so much!" Aki broke down with his climax. His date gave into her own release before collapsing on top of him, asleep. It didn't take long for Aki to join her.

* * *

 _7:00 a.m._

"Hey Aki," Ngo said at sunrise. Her date drew open his eyes.

"Yes," he mumbled, half-asleep.

"Why do have a tiger tattooed on your back?" she asked. He sighed and placed his hand over his eyes.

"Oh!" Aki said, groaning. "It was a dumb idea to woo a girl."

"Did you get her?"

"No. She ran off with some biker guy."

"Aw!"

Aki shook his head, smiling. "It's not a real loss. I'm over her now."

"What happened to his teeth?"

"Oh boy." He rolled over to face Ngo. "The artiest got drunk on the last day and screwed up the tiger's teeth." Aki rested his head on his arm. "I don't know how I feel about it now."

Ngo ran her finger along his tattoo. "I think it's cute."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Her giggling made his cheeks turn pink. It didn't take him long to realize that he wanted to hear such a sound more often in his life.

* * *

-Present Day-

 _Tokyo, Japan._

 _6:00 a.m._

The boss breathed in the Japanese air. _When was the last time I was here in Japan?_ He didn't have time to reminisce on the good old days. After a good nap on the plane, it was time to get to work.


	34. Mutual Slump

_Chapter Thirty-Four: Mutual Slump:_

-Last Night-

She knocked on Tsuzuki and Anna's front door. The couple hadn't expected this tiny thing on their doorstep. She had to be about sixteen or seventeen. Tsuzuki blinked at her.

"Uh… can I help you?" he asked. The girl started screaming in Chinese. The shinigami looked so confused.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "Calm down! Calm down!" He looked around for help as the girl tried to push pass him into the apartment.

"Stop that!" he shouted. "Hey! What are you doing?" The girl's shouting did little to resolve the situation.

"Baby, what's going on?" the two heard behind them. They looked up to see Anna walking into the living room with Kirika-chan in her arms.

"What is this?" she asked. The curved girl tried to run towards the baby, but Tsuzuki held her back.

"I don't know," the shinigami said. "She just started yelling and tried to get into the apartment. I can't understand what she's saying!" Anna tried to listen to the girl's yelling.

"Excuse me," she said in English. "Can you understand Japanese?" The girl shook her head.

"English then?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," the girl said. The woman breathed out in relief. _Well that's a start._

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Anna asked.

"I'm here to get my niece!" the girl said.

"What?!" the couple shouted.

* * *

Minutes later, they all sat in the living room. Tsuzuki and Anna observed their "guest" sitting on the couch. Despite the frown, she looked kind of cute. Her long black ponytails to her hips. Her jeans and t-shirt looked damp from the earlier rain.

"So, what is your name?" Anna asked.

"Daiyu," the girl answered.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Anna tilted her head. "Do your parents know where you are right now?"

Daiyu gritted her teeth. "That's none of your business!"

"Look, you're the one who came to us! We deserve answers!"

Daiyu followed her arms across her chest. She muttered under her breath in Chinese. Anna gave Tsuzuki a quick update on what was unfolding.

"So, why does she want Kirika-chan?" he asked.

"Where is my niece?!" Daiyu demanded.

"What niece? What's going on here?" Anna asked.

"I don't have much time!" the girl shouted.

"Try us!"

Daiyu drew in a breath. "That baby is my sister's daughter."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Why should we believe you?"

"I'm a yaoguai too," Daiyu said. She flashed her long, skinny fangs. Anna folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay, but will you submit to a DNA test?" she asked.

"Yes!" Daiyu shouted. "I don't have time! I need to get my niece back home before they kidnap her for testing!"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked. The girl clenched her fists.

"It's too much for you to understand," she hissed.

"Try us!" the woman said. "We're not turning Kirika-chan over until you tell us the truth." She whispered what's going to on to Tsuzuki in a shortened version. Daiyu clenched her teeth.

"Fine," she hissed. "I'll tell you anything you want to know!"

"And the DNA test?" Anna asked.

"Whatever!"

"Very well, come with us." She nudged Tsuzuki to follow and headed to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Daiyu asked, turning her head. Anna glanced over her shoulder.

"We're going for that DNA test," she said. "Get up. Let's go." Daiyu rolled her eyes as she followed behind Tsuzuki with the baby out the door.


	35. Pact with the Devil

_Chapter Thirty-Five: Pact with the Devil:_

An unholy alliance was born in the early morning hours. The boss needed to get closer to the key. His boys couldn't exactly get into Meifu. Lucky for him, he knew how to drive a hard bargain. Chance happened to play in his favor.

Kitten Palace Café was busy on this Friday morning. The boss looked at his pink surroundings. _Heh, it takes me back_ , he thought. No time to enjoy the good old days; he had work to do. First, he needed a mark.

* * *

Katsumi and Miki sat in the same café, eyeing the waitresses.

"Who should be next?" Miki whispered. Katsumi's eyes shifted from left and right.

"Hm…" he said. "Do we want to kill or rob?"

Miki lifted her head. "I don't really know, baby." She frowned. "Our box is getting hungry again." He rubbed on her shoulder.

"We'll get someone soon."

She rested her head on the table. "I'm bored."

"I know."

* * *

The boss spotted the couple at their table. He studied the girl first. Women made excellent tools in his eyes. Depending on the type in personality, he gave his females different roles for his operation. Miki had seen trauma in his eyes. She would kill without mercy. His lips curved into a smirk. She will be perfect.

Meanwhile, Katsumi had his eyes on the boss from the table across from them.

"Miki-chan, look," he whispered, pointing.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think I found a good source of money for us."

"Huh?" Miki noticed the older man in black staring at her. She turned up her nose, sneering.

"I hate how he's staring at me," she hissed. Katsumi rested his hand on her knee.

"We'll teach him a lesson," he whispered. Her boyfriend nuzzled her on the cheek. Miki smiled briefly.

On the other side of the room, the boss noticed Katsumi's eyes on him. _I take it that's the boyfriend_ , he thought. It didn't matter to him. He decided to act now. The boss finished his drink.

"Oh!" Miki said. "He's coming this way!" Katsumi held her hand.

"I'll handle this," he said. The boy stood up as the man approached their table.

"Why are you staring at us, old man?" he asked, eyes narrowed. The boss gave them an ironic warm smile.

"I do apologize," he said, bowing. "My name is Chau Aiguo and I have a little well-paying job for you." Miki didn't like the coldness in his tone, but Katsumi raised an eyebrow.

"How much are we talking?" he asked.

"Katsumi-kun!" Miki whispered. Her boyfriend gave her a little wink.

"Mind if I sit down?" Aiguo asked. The wild boy smirked as he headed towards his destruction.

"Sure," Katsumi said.


	36. Hot Then Cold

_Chapter Thirty-Six: Hot Then Cold:_

So much can happen in three days.

-Vivian-

I don't get it! The more I think about Mike, the more I want to scream. He's just so… Argh! Hotaru doesn't help matters either. She giggles when I complain about Mike.

"What's so funny?" I asked. She gave me a goofy smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hotaru asked.

"No…" I said. She leaned in with that creepy grin of hers.

"I believe that you like good old Mikey," she said. I resisted the urge to vomit.

"What?!" I shouted. "No! That's not…!"

"What? That's not true? Your face says otherwise."

I slapped my red cheeks. "Shut up!" Hotaru's laughter made it worse. I tried not to scream, but she just… Urgh! I lowered my head. Hotaru patted on me.

"There, there," she said. "Love is rather confusing at this time."

I jerked my head upwards. "It's not like that!"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" I wanted to disappear into the floor. Why does she do this to me?

"Look," she said. "Just admit it. It's better than this battle you're fighting with yourself." I froze when I heard her say it. I might not like her message, but she had a point. Why was I going in circles with this? At this point, I was going nowhere. I dropped my shoulders.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Be honest with yourself for one," Hotaru said.

"But…"

She shrugged. "That's up to you. I'm only saying what I think."

* * *

So now, I am stuck again. Yeah. I flopped back onto my bed. It's true that Mike annoyed me. Still, he had some redeeming qualities. He is good with women. All during lunch yesterday, he wouldn't let me pick up the tab.

"No, I got this," he said.

"But…" I said.

"I got it," Mike repeated. I sat back and let him pay the tab. I still can't answer that myself.

I rolled over on my bed. Then he tries to look out for me. Last week, I left my workbook at home. To my surprise, Mike came by my school just to drop it off. He didn't explain any motives. Mike dropped off my workbook and left.

I frowned. I couldn't figure that guy out. What does he want from me? I buried my face in my pillow. What's wrong with me? Hotaru's words rang in my head.

"I believe you like good old Mikey."

That statement made me shudder. Me? Liking me? No way! Is it true? I shut my eyes. I'm tired of this game. It's getting me nowhere. You know what? I'm going to end this now! I pulled the pillow from my face. How do I do that? I glanced over at my clock. No more stalling with this crap. I'm just going to say it. I got up and walked out of my room.

* * *

I walked up to Mike's bedroom door. When I heard moaning on the other side, my stomach turned.

 _Don't tell me… Maybe it's not that._ Against my judgement, I knocked on the door.

"Mike!" I shouted. "Could you come out here? I have something to tell you." The noise inside went quiet. Maybe I should turn back, forget about it… I jumped back when the door opened. Mike stood in front of me in nothing but sheets around his waist. My cheek turned bright red. I didn't notice the dull look in his eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked. I stared at him in a daze until I happened to glance behind him. A woman sat up in bed, covering her breasts with the sheets. My heart sank when our eyes met. _No way!_ Mike tilted his head.

"What is it?" he asked. I backed away, shaking my head.

"I… I'm sorry to bother you!" I cried. I ran off with tears in my eyes. _Why? Why? How could me? Why Mike? Why?_

"Who was that?" I heard behind me down the hall. The door slowly pulled closed.


	37. Project Sunny

_Chapter Thirty-Seven: Project Sunny:_

So much can happen in three days.

Watari swabbed Daiyu's mouth. Her fangs alone caught his interest.

"Wow, two and a half yaoguai in two weeks!" he said. "Someone loves me this month!" Daiyu rolled her eyes. _Freak!_

"Look," she said. "How long will this take?"

"About two or three days," Watari said.

Daiyu frowned with big eyes. "You're kidding, right?"

"It has to be done right."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I don't have much time."

"Yes, we know. In the meantime…" Watari closed up the swab. "I need you to id a body." He led her to the two bodies in storage. "Can you handle this?"

"Yes," Daiyu said.

"Okay," Watari said. He drew back the sheet. Daiyu looked and gasped.

"Take your time it you have to," he whispered. The color drained from the girl's face.

"Sis!" she said. "No!"

"I'm so sorry."

Daiyu looked up. "What happened to her?"

"We believe she and her lover were murdered."

"Mama and Papa were right."

"Pardon?"

"They didn't approve of Ngo's relationship with that human. You see, we eat our lovers after sleeping with them."

"Why did she spare Himura-san?" Watari asked.

"Love." Daiyu grabbed her arm. "What was she thinking?"

"Let me guess, they had a hot night together, she became pregnant, they started dating, your parents threatened her to end it, but she refused, and ran off with Himura-san."

"Yes."

"Okay. Why did you come here?"

"I had been talking to Ngo in secret until weeks ago."

"You sensed something wrong?"

"Yes." Daiyu reached into her cloak. "I found this while looking around his apartment." She handed him a printed-out flyer. Watari's eyes caught the words "drug testing" and "pharmaceutical." He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Tell me everything you know," he shouted. "Tell me everything you know!"

"You're hurting me!" Daiyu shouted. Watari let go, backing off.

"How much do you know?" he asked.

"I was looking for my sister," she said. "I learned that Ngo was staying at that man's apartment. They already moved out, but I looked anyway."

"Where did you find the flyer?"

"It was crumbled up on the floor," she said. "I can't read it at all. What does it say?" Watari read the flyer for himself. His eyes grew wide.

"No way…" he murmured. Watari raced over to his phone sitting on his desk.

"What's wrong?" Daiyu asked. The scientist dialed the boss, ignoring the girl.

"Konoe-san! It's worse than we thought! We're dealing with the Viper's Teeth group and Project Sunny!" he shouted. Daiyu caught those last six words. _Viper's Teeth? Project Sunny?_ Her eyes widened as the color drained from her face. _No…!_

Watari trembled as he hung up.


	38. What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You

_Chapter Thirty-Eight: What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You:_

So much can happen in three days.

The shinigami held a board meeting that afternoon. Tatsumi booted up the projector.

"Viper's Teeth," he said. "They broke off from the triad in the early seventies and fled to Hong Kong. They mostly work in the medical field." Tatsumi flipped to the next slide.

"The group has been on the blacklist since the 80's."

"Why is that?" Hisoka asked.

"They ran experiments on humans," Watari explained. "Deadly ones. I've been watching them for years."

"Because of them, some people from Japan have gone missing. All evidence so far points back to Viper's Teeth," Tatsumi said. He flipped to the next slide.

"It's come to our attention ten years ago they were working on Project Sunny. Are you familiar with the legend of the three thousand giants?"

"Yeah, they are locked away in hell or something like that," Tsuzuki said.

"Correct," Tatsumi said. "Ever since World War II, that barrier is falling apart. Descendants of the gods are struggling to keep the demons in the pit. This is where Project Sunny comes in."

"It's designed to keep the demons sealed in hell," Konoe said. "However, there is one problem."

"They're using humans for this key," Hisoka said.

"Yes," Tatsumi said.

"What does this have to do with Kirika-chan?" Tsuzuki asked. The three men looked rather grim.

"What is it?" he asked. It didn't take long for Tsuzuki to take a guess. "No…"

Watari took out the blood test results. "Her blood is suggesting it. Same with her father. Now, I'm not need to run more tests."

"But what if she…?"

"We don't know yet," Tatsumi said. "I suspect that Viper's Teeth will be after her." Tsuzuki felt his stomach turn. _Kirika-chan used in human experiments? No._

"Is there any way to reverse the effects?" he asked.

"We don't know yet," Watari said.

"And Daiyu? What do we do with her?" Tsuzuki asked. The men looked at the door. Despite not seeing outside, they knew she was there.

"The results haven't come in yet," Watari said. "We'll have to contact her parents."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Tsuzuki muttered.

"What was that?" Konoe asked. Tsuzuki buried his head in his hands.

"It's complicated," he said. _It's probably going to get even more so soon_ , he thought. Tatsumi cleared his throat.

"Either way," he said. "Please be on your guard. I suspect the group will be looking for the baby next."

"In the meantime," Watari said. "I'll keep looking up what I can."

"Right," Tsuzuki said. It didn't take long for baby drama to take a backseat.


	39. Uncoiling

_Chapter Thirty-Nine: Uncoiling:_

So much can happen in three days.

Isabel packed up to leave for the evening. She turned when she heard a knock on the door. She turned to see one of her coworkers watching her.

"Oh, Shun!" she said. "You're still here?"

"Actually, I was just leaving," Shun said. "What about you?" Isabel chuckled.

"I was about to leave too," she said.

"I see. Say, you free this evening?"

"May I ask why?"

Shun chuckled and blushed. "I was wondering if we could go out for a drink or something." He expected her to turn him down. Instead, Isabel smiled.

"Sure," she said. Shun's jaw dropped.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Isabel said. Her coworker whistled softly.

"Wow," he whispered. "Okay…" Shun never knew Isabel to have such a cute smile.

* * *

Shun took Isabel to an undisclosed bar. To his surprise, she could handle her drink really well.

"You can really put it away," Shun said. Isabel downed her seventh drink.

"Yeah," she said. "My dad taught me well."

"Speaking of your dad, where are you from?"

"Paris."

"Ooo, a French beauty."

Isabel giggled. "Thank you." She ordered another drink.

"You know," Shun said. "I don't know much about you."

"Oh?"

"You barely talk about yourself. Do you have family in France? What kind of music do you like? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Isabel covered her mouth, giggling. "That's a lot of questions about little old me."

"Please?" Shun asked.

"Okay, okay," she said. "But you have to answer one question for me."

"What kind of question?" he asked.

Her coworker took a breath. "Alright. Do you have family in France?"

"I did." A sad look filled her eyes. "He died when I was young. It was an accident."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Isabel shook her head. "I'm fine now. My host family has been good to me in this country."

"What are they like?"

"Mama's really supportive of me. My little brother is sweet, but he's sick."

"Is it bad?"

Isabel shook her head. "It's nothing too serious, really."

"I had a father and a younger brother."

"I see. What happened to them?"

"They're still alive. My father's a retired salaryman and my brother's in high school." Shun gently swirled his glass in his hand.

Isabel ordered another drink. "Do you have more questions for me?"

"Huh? Oh. What kind of music do you like?"

Isabel chuckled. "Pop music mostly."

Shun's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. AKB48 is my favorite band."

"Really? I took you for a classical music fan."

"I like a little bit of that too." She tilted her head. "Let me guess. You like rock music, right?"

Shun gave her a fake gasp. "How did you know?"

Isabel shrugged. "I just read people." She downed her eighth drink. The bar tender raised an eyebrow.

"Will she be okay?" he mouthed at Shun. The shinigami nodded. Despite his unease, the bar tender returned to his work. Shun turned back to his "date."

"So… Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"No," she said. Shin's cheeks flushed red. _Wow!_ "Do you think that we…?"

Isabel held up her hand. "Maybe. It's only the first date."

Shun's jaw dropped. "Wait. We're on a…?"

"Isn't that why you asked me out for a drink?" she asked.

"Well… yeah," he said in a small voice. She smiled and finished her drink.

"Now, I want to ask you something," Isabel asked.

"What?" Shun asked, blinking. She leaned on the bar.

"How do you kill a shinigami?" she asked. Shun smiled, confused.

"What?" he asked.

"How do you kill a shinigami?"

"You can't; we're already dead."

"Yes but supporting. How can you do it? Is it possible?"

Shun pondered the question. "I guess it is possible."

Isabel ran her finger down her empty glass. "Oh?"

"The only way we can die is with Touda's flames."

"Touda? Tsuzuki's shikigami?"

"Yeah. Touda's flames are so hot that when it burns us, our bodies can't heal." The shinigami froze. "Why do you ask?"

Isabel shook her head. "No reason." She ordered another drink. Shun shrugged it off, unaware that he just sighed his second death warrant.


	40. Fire Bullet

_Chapter Forty: Fire Bullet:_

So much can happen in three days.

-Thirteen Years Ago-

 _Undisclosed French countryside_

A young kuda-gitsune lay injured next to her father's body. He had just taken his last breath. For days, hunters chased them down. One of them finally got them. She shed big tears.

"Papa," she whimpered. "Papa!" She looked up when a shadow cast over her and the body. Haruka stood over them, looking down. The little kuda-gitsune broke down trembling.

"No, go away!" she cried. "We can't take anymore!" To her surprise, the old lady reached down and pet her.

"Who did this to you?" Haruka asked. The kuda-gitsune's lower lip quivered.

"Hunters," she said. "They chased us down days and killed Papa." Tears ran down her tiny face. "They laughed as they killed Papa!" Haruka wiped away her tears.

"Do you want revenge?" she asked. The little kuda-gitsune gave her a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you want to avenge your father?"

The little kuda-gitsune sniffled. "Yes."

Haruka held out her hand. "Come with me." The child took her hand with big eyes.

-Present Day-

 _6:00 a.m._

Shun and two other shinigami began another day on the Eda-Kimoto clan case. Since Mid-June, they made steady progress. In fact, they planned to make the arrest today.

"Tsuzuki was too wrapped up in Anna," one of them, Aoba, said. "No wonder he couldn't solve this sooner." Shun's eyes shifted left and right.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Doesn't this seem a little…?" His colleagues eyed him.

"What?" Yamato, the third man, asked.

"Easy," Shun admitted. "This feels too easy."

"Nah," Aoba said. "You're just imaging things."

"Perhaps," Shun said. "But still…" The men looked up when they heard the door open. A smile spread across Aoba's face.

"Oh, you're here early," he said. "Ready to dive into the case? We're about to make an arrest." He paused when he heard a clicking noise. Aoba turned and…

It took three explosive bangs to rock all of Ju-Oh-Cho.

 _7:45 a.m._

The rest of the shinigami examined the burned-out recording lab. All that remained of Aoba, Shun, and Yamato were piles of black ashes. Tatsumi could smell the curse.

"Where's Touda been since morning?" he asked Tsuzuki.

"He's been with me," Tsuzuki said.

"Does this look familiar?"

His former partner leaned in. looking at the ash piles. He covered his mouth, gasping. "It can't be!"

Tatsumi patted Tsuzuki on the shoulder. "We don't know much yet. Everyone's still looking." The older shinigami pressed his lips together.

"Right…" he said.

 _1:00 a.m._

Haruka made a quick phone call. "Sosuke? I know it's early, but hear me out, please. I need you to make some special bullets for me. Oh… Just some hot enough to burn like Touda's flames. Can you do that?" She listened with a smirk on her face. "Perfect. I'm counting on you."

Haruka went to bed, smirking.

 _8:02 a.m._

Watari completed his test results. Tsuzuki drew in a deep breath.

"Well?" he asked. The scientist looked rather grim.

"It's like Touda's flames," he said. "But it's not his." Tsuzuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good," he said. Another thought crossed his mind. "Then… what caused it?" Watari picked up a fragment of what appeared to be steel.

"A spell," he said.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki and Hisoka asked. The scientist shinigami held up the fragment.

"A spell bound to a bullet," he added.

 _9:00 a.m._

Isabel sat in the grass, numb. Her hands trembled. _It was for you, Papa! It was all for you!_

"Isabel?" she heard a girl ask. The French shinigami whipped around with a yelp. Behind her stood Wakaba with a curious look on her face. Isabel made herself calm down.

"Oh, Wakaba-chan," she said. "You startled me there."

"Wong-san?" Wakaba asked. "What are you doing out here?" Isabel put her hand to her breast.

"Ah," she said. "It's chaotic in there."

"Yes, there of our own were murdered."

Isabel gasped. "How terrible!" Wakaba happened to notice a deep blackened burn in the older shinigami's right hand.

"Wong-san, what happened to your hand?" she asked.

"Huh?" Isabel asked, looking at her hand. It didn't take long for Wakaba put the pieces together from what she heard. _Those men were killed with a bullet bound with a powerful fire spell!_ Wakaba began backing away. Isabel gave her a puzzled look.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Wakaba's jaw dropped as she trembled.

"You killed them!" she yelled.

"What?" Isabel asked. Wakaba ran into the Ju-Oh-Cho building as fast as she could. Isabel cursed under her breath and chased her down.


	41. Death is a Star Pt 1

_Chapter Forty-One: Death is a Star Pt. 1:_

So much can happen in three days.

 _5:30 a.m._

Isabel sat in the dim light of her living room. Close to a year led to this moment. She took in a deep breath and remembered Haruka's instructions.

"I had a friend make something special for you," the old lady told her. Haruka handed the kuda-gitsune the gun. Isabel's eyes grew wide.

"What is this?" she asked.

"You will need this," the old lady said. "Inside are three bullets. You only get one shot a piece to the Tokyo Branch. Do not hesitate. One shot to the heart but be careful. Too much hesitation between shots will cause the gun to overheat and explode."

Isabel took the gun, nodding. "I won't let you down."

"Very good," Haruka said.

* * *

 _9:00 a.m._

Wakaba ran straight into Ju-Oh-Cho with Isabel close behind, yelling at her.

"Come back here, bitch!" the French shinigami shouted. _I have to tell the boys_ , Wakaba thought.

"Everyone!" she shouted. "I found who killed them! I found who killed them!" Isabel saw fire as she ran to catch up.

"Come back here!" she shouted. Wakaba finally spotted the boys and flagged them down.

"Guys!" she cried. "Help! I'm being chased!" Isabel grabbed onto her shoulder just as the boys approached.

"Isabel-san!" Tatsumi shouted. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Look at her hand!" Wakaba shouted. Isabel started backing away when Tsuzuki reached for her right wrist.

"No way…" he said when he saw the burns. Isabel smirked.

"Well, hell," she said. "You caught me."

* * *

 _10:00 a.m._

Isabel sat in an interrogation room. Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Tatsumi, and Watari sat across from her. The French woman shrugged her shoulders.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get this over with you."

"Who are you?" Tatsumi asked.

"Wong. Wong Isabel."

"Wait… you're…?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes," she said. "I am Wong." The suspect crossed her legs. "Anything else?"

"How did you kill those men in the Tokyo division?" Watari asked. Isabel smirked.

"A gun," she said. "A very special gun." Isabel relived the events in her head. "It was so easy, really. I walked in and shot them all once." The glow vanished from her face. "When I got to Shun, the gun got too hot. I managed to squeeze one more shot before the damn gun explode in my hand." As Isabel spoke, Hisoka noticed something off about her.

"You're not dead, are you?" he asked. The older shinigami gave him strange looks.

"Haven't you noticed it by now?" he asked. Isabel resisted the urge to laugh.

"He is right," she admitted.

"What?!" Tsuzuki, Tatsumi, and Watari shouted.

"So, what are you?" Hisoka asked.

"Heh," Isabel said. "I'm a kuda-gitsune." The shock hit them like waves.

"A kuda-gitsune?" Tsuzuki asked. "Then that must mean…"

"Why yes," Isabel said with a cold smile. "Haruka is like a mother to me and I serve her well!"


	42. Death of a Star Pt 2

_Chapter Forty-Two: Death of a Star Pt. 2:_

So much can happen in three days.

 _6:00 a.m._

Isabel walked into the room, smiling. Aoba, Shun, Yamato noticed her when the door opened.

"Oh, you're here early," Aoba said, smiling. "Ready to dive into the case? We're about to make an arrest." Isabel reached into her bag. Aoba paused when he heard a clicking noise. He turned and bag! Isabel shot him right in the chest. He didn't even scream as his body caught on fire. Shun and Yamato became paralyzed with fear. Isabel turned her gun on Yamato and pulled the trigger. A creepy smile inched across her face as he burned up. She enjoyed the fiery deaths so much that she almost didn't notice her gun overheating. Almost.

"Ow," Isabel hissed as she turned the gun on Shun. He backed away towards the window.

"Isabel-san?" he asked. "Please… don't…." She didn't even blink. Isabel managed to get in the last shot before her gun exploded. She didn't even stay to watch Shun burn to death as she moved on with the next step of the plan.

* * *

 _10:21 a.m._

The door to the interrogation room ripped wide open. Isabel smirked as Anna stood in the doorway, panting. The shinigami looked baffled.

"Anna?" Tsuzuki asked, standing up. "Baby, what are you doing here?" Anna pointed at the kuda-gitsune sitting at the table.

"Is that her?!" she asked. "Is she in connection with Haruka?" Isabel snickered.

"Good, you got my text," she said.

"What?" Tsuzuki asked. The kuda-gitsune crossed her thumbs.

"Everyone's here," she said. "Now we can begin." Isabel held up her hand to stop Anna. "Hold on. I will answer one question at a time. Who's next?"

"How did you pass yourself off as a shinigami?" Tatsumi asked. Isabel couldn't help, but smile.

"Ah," she said. "Let me show you." Isabel reached into her blazer and drew out a small baggie. "This." She slid it across the table to Watari. "It was so easy. I just eat that dust and I appear dead to everyone in Meifu." Isabel's eyes shifted towards Hisoka. "Tell me, how could you tell?"

"You didn't feel dead to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Feel dead?"

"Yeah. Do you remember when we bumped into each other in the hall the other day?"

"Vaguely."

"I touched your wrist and saw you eating that dust in your past."

Isabel didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You… saw… me… Damn it!" She pressed her palm in her forehead.

"Why kill them?" Tsuzuki asked. The kuda-gitsune lifted her head.

"What? Oh, them," she said. "They were rather annoying." Tsuzuki resisted the urge to yell.

"You what?" he asked.

"Well, Aoba was annoying and cocky. Yamato, I had nothing against him. A little talkative, but it was okay. But Shun…" Isabel shook her head. "He was a good man, really. We could've been an item. Guess it wasn't meant to be."

"You bitch!" Anna shouted. Tsuzuki had to restrain her. Isabel giggled.

"I see Mama was right about you," she said. She bit back her laughter. "Those fools couldn't see it was a false trail of clues." Her eyes turned to Tsuzuki. "But you knew that, didn't you?" He didn't have to answer as the other shinigami eyed him.

"Anyway," Isabel said. "They were getting in the way of Mama's plans, so they had to die."

"What plans?" Tsuzuki asked. The kuda-gitsune leaned in, smirking.

"That's for Anna to see," she said. "She has plans for her. And you too, Tsuzuki-san." The violet-eyed shinigami gave her a blank stare.

"Huh? Why me too?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" the kuda-gitsune asked. "You _are_ family after all." The words made his stomach turn.

"But why do of all of this for Haruka?" Hisoka asked. "She's just using you. She'll kill you in the end." Isabel glared at him.

"You don't know Mama!" she snapped. "She saved me! I owe her my life!" Her eyes turned foxlike as she bore her fangs.

Isabel wound up arrested for triple homicide. However en route to be judged, she began foaming at the mouth and having convulsions.

"Somebody help!" one of the guards shouted. By the time Tatsumi and Watari ran down the hall, Isabel lay cold on the floor with her eyes open. Tatsumi put two fingers to her wrist.

"She's dead," he said.

"It looks like she was poisoned." No sooner had he said that, strange burn marks appeared on her wrists. To the shinigami's shock, they turned out to be the Kanji for "Eda," "Kimoto," and "bear." Her human form broke down, revealing her true fox form.

"There goes that lead," Watari said, frowning.

"Now what?" one of the guards asked.


	43. Devil's Bargain

_Chapter Forty-Three: Devil's Bargain:_

Before those three days…

Katsumi raised an eyebrow. "What are ya saying, sir?"

Aiguo passed the couple a photo. "I'm looking for this key." Miki tilted her head.

"A baby?" she asked.

"Yes," the man said.

"She's your daughter?" Katsumi asked.

"You can say that. I really need her back," Aiguo said. "She's really important to me."

"So… where is she?" Katsumi asked.

"My people are searching for her right now. They last tracked her near an abandoned area neat the old parliament building."

Miki gave him an odd look. "So… What do you need from us?"

Aiguo broke into a grin. "Oh… Just kill some people for me." The couple's eyes lit up. The boss smirked. _Heh, I knew that would get their attention._

"Who do we kill?" Katsumi asked.

"Anyone you like," Aiguo said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"By any way?"

"Yes."

"Whoa!" Katsumi turned to his girlfriend. "You hear that?"

Miki nodded. "Yes." Her eyes shifted towards Aiguo. "What's the catch?"

"No catch."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I don't believe you."

"Baby?" Katsumi asked. Miki waved him off.

"I mean it!" she said. "Nobody offers something for nothing."

"Ah, smart girl," Aiguo said. "I just want the baby back. Think about it. We both benefit from this deal. You get to kill people and I get my baby back. What do you say?" Miki snorted.

"We'll see!" she said. Katsumi put his hand on her shoulder.

"Baby," he whispered. Katsumi turned his attention back to Aiguo.

"Excuse us for a minute," he said. Aiguo bowed his head.

"Sure," the boss said. Katsumi took Miki by the arm and led her outside the café.

* * *

"What the hell, Miki?" Katsumi asked outside the café. Miki folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't trust him!" she shouted.

"I don't either."

His girlfriend snorted. "Could've fooled me!"

"Look, this will be temporary. We just need to go along with this until we rob him blind. It will only be for a short time." He frowned as she rolled her eyes.

"Just go with me on this," Katsumi insisted. "This job won't take too long. Just go with me on this."

Miki narrowed her eyes. "You're not bull-shitting me, are you?"

Her boyfriend grabbed her by the hands. "I haven't been and I won't start now."

"Maybe… Only if you say it."

Katsumi smiled and dropped his shoulders. "I love you."

Miki kissed him on the bridge of his nose. "Done. I love you too."

"Thanks," her boyfriend said. He led her back into the café.

* * *

Aiguo looked up when he heard the couple return to their table. He lowered his glass.

"Well?" he asked. Katsumi pressed his hand on the table.

"We're in," he said. "When can we start?"

Aiguo smiled. "Good. Let's begin."


	44. Haruka's Invitation

_Chapter Forty-Four: Haruka's Invitation:_

So much can happen in three days.

Tsuzuki put his hands on his head and sighed. "I am so sorry you got dragged into this."

Anna tiled her head. "Why?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"How did she call you over here?" Tsuzuki asked. "Was it a text? Voicemail?"

"Text," she said. "Here." Anna showed him her phone. Tsuzuki pulled up the message.

"We caught someone in connection with the Eda-Kimoto clan. Come down to Ju-Oh-Cho immediately! It's really serious," he read. "How did Isabel get your number?"

"No idea," Anna said. She shook her head. "Oh dear. We made a mess again, didn't we? I mean, I know Haruka wants to kill me, but what does she want with you?"

"I have no idea, but I don't like it."

"Me neither," his wife said. "Now what?"

"I have no clue," he said. Tsuzuki happened to glance down at his desk and noticed a folded-up piece of paper. _Hm?_

"Who gets the case now?" Anna asked. "Isabel killed the shinigami working on it and the same thing might happen to another division."

"They might reassign the case to someone else," Tsuzuki said, picking up the paper. He unfolded it and read it. "Hey, Anna."

"Yeah?"

"Come look at this?"

"What?" Anna came around for look. "It looks like some sort of an invitation."

"You are invited to a viewing party in Tokyo," Tsuzuki read. "Come down by Ueno Park at seven in the evening. You may bring one more guest with you. Signed, Haruka." Anna clenched her teeth.

"It's a trap!" she snapped.

"Yes," Tsuzuki said. He flipped over the paper. "Hey, there's more."

"What?"

"I know you think it's a trap. It might be. It might not. You'll have to come out and see for yourselves."

"Like hell we will!"

Tsuzuki rested his hand on her shoulder. "Take it easy."

"How can I?!" Anna barked. "She's just evil!" The couple looked up when they heard a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Watari asked, peek in.

"No," Tsuzuki said.

"Yes," Anna said. Watari cleared his throat.

"If you are ready, I have something to show you," he said.

"What is it?" Anna asked. Watari grinned.

"You'll have to come and see!" he said.

"We'll be there in a second," Tsuzuki said. Watari turned and headed back to his lab. Tsuzuki turned his focus on Anna.

"You up for this?" he asked.

"Not really," Anna grumbled. Nevertheless, she followed Tsuzuki to Watari's lab.

* * *

Meanwhile, Haruka and Aki sat on the porch of their house watching the autumn leaves. The kitsune looked up at her mistress.

"Do you think they will come?" Aki asked. Haruka patted her on the head.

"I know they will," the old lady said. "I will see to it that they do." She took another sip of her hoppy.


	45. Bonnie Clyde

_Chapter Forty-Five: Bonnie + Clyde:_

So much can happen in three days.

It started out as a normal night. Miki and Katsumi walked into a ramen shop. The place wasn't crowded at the time. Only the cook and three regulars sat inside. Katsumi scanned around with his eyes and nodded. Miki held their box to her chest. She followed her boyfriend to the counter.

"Welcome!" the cook greeted them. "What can I do for you today?" Katsumi looked at the menu.

"You got any pork ramen?" he asked.

"Yeah," the cook asked.

"What would you like, babe?" Katsumi asked. Miki looked at the menu on the counter.

"Shrimp ramen," she said.

"Coming up!" the cook said. The couple took a look at their potential victims. Four people and only three had to die.

"Leave one alive," Aiguo said. Miki frowned as she remembered his instructions.

"Why do we have to leave one alive?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Katsumi said back. His girlfriend frowned.

"Seems stupid to me," she said under her breath. Two men entered the ramen shop. Miki pretended not to see them as they stared at her ass. The cook returned with the couple's orders.

"Here is your order," he told them. Katsumi paid for both bowls as the cook looked at the clock on the back wall.

"Oh, is it time already?" he asked. At ten o'clock, he turned on the stereo.

"Oh I love this song!" Miki exclaimed. She jumped up and started to dance to the high-energy retro song. The three regulars, two middle-aged businessmen and a woman in her thirties, paid her no mind. The two twenty-something men eyed the wild girl. It didn't take long for them to dance over to her.

"Hey darling," one of them said. "Care to dance with us?"

"Sure," Miki said. She danced with the two men to the song. Katsumi smirked as he ate his dinner. They pulled this trap before. _Five… Four… Three… Two… One!_ As if on cue, one of the men grabbed Miki's ass. She whipped around, glaring.

"You!" she snapped. The girl drew out a stun gun and zapped him on the neck.

"Ow! Hey!" the man shouted. "What the hell?! I was just playing with you, man!" All he got in response was a stab to the stomach. Miki laughed as he sank to his knees. The other patrons began to panic. The cook reached for his phone, but Katsumi shot him in the hand.

"You ain't callin' no one!" he snapped. Katsumi turned to his plump girlfriend.

"Baby want to pick at the end?" he asked.

"Can I make the final kill?" she asked.

"Of course!"

Miki squealed, clapping her hands. "I love you, babe!" The cook was the first to die. Miki set the box on the counter.

"Ready?" she asked. Katsumi picked up his gun.

"Yeah!" he shouted. Bang! The cook took a bullet to the chest. His blood splashed on Abaddon's Box.

"Baby," Miki said. "Let's get them all!"

"We have to spare one," her boyfriend said. Miki put up her hands.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled. Katsumi raised his gun at the men with his girlfriend.

"Bring them closer, will you?" he asked. Miki pushed the twenty-something men closer. Her boyfriend smirked.

"Perfect," he said. One shot a piece fed their vile box. He turned and shot one of the business men twice in the chest. Miki walked up to the two remaining victims and took the gun from Katsumi. The man and the woman trembled as she waved the gun back and forth between them.

"Kagome, Kagome," Miki sang. "The bird in the cage. When, oh when will it come out? In the night of dawn. The crane and turtle slipped. Who is behind you now?" Her gun landed on the remaining man in glasses. Miki smirked at the woman.

"Sorry, bitch!" he said. She screamed before the teenaged girl pulled the trigger. Once the woman's blood fed the box, the demon flew out to feast on the carnage. The lone survivor looked around at the black slime and screamed.

"What the…?! What the hell is that?!" he cried. Miki broke into a huge grin.

"It's our pet!" she said. Katsumi kissed her on the lips as the demon ate the flesh and blood of the bodies. After the last corpse, the demon flew back into the box. The teenaged terrors ran off to have sex in the back alley, leaving the lone survivor in a ramen shop filled with bones. Clothes, and liquefied organs.


	46. Love's Confusing Game

_Chapter Forty-Six: Love's Confusing Game:_

Meanwhile in the chaos…

-Charlotte-

I think I'm getting somewhere with Takashi. We kiss and sometimes sleep together. Still, I don't know if he gets it or not. I don't have a way to test it either. Takashi says that he loves me, but does he get it? I knocked on his bedroom door.

"Takashi!" I called. "Can we talk for a minute?" I backed up when the door opened a crack.

"Yes?" he asked. I pressed my lips together.

"I really like you," I said. "I know you can't understand it, but that's fine with me. Maybe one day I could get you to love me back. It would take time." I clenched my fists at my sides.

"I don't care. You're a good man. I already messed up once. I won't do it again by letting you go!" As I expected, he didn't know how to respond. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. I won't give up on him. No more settling. Screw heaven, I love this angel!

-April-

I'm not sure what Kyosuke and I have. We work together, true. He acts all nervous around me. After two attempts, we finally slept together. (I have to admit, I did enjoy that night. Maybe… I would like to do it again sometime.) But now…

"Kyosuke, can I ask you a question?" I asked in Watari's lab.

"Sure, Robertson-san," Kyosuke said.

"What exactly are we?"

"Excuse me?"

"What are we? Coworkers? Friends? Fuck buddies?"

Kyosuke dropped a tray of sterile tool on the floor. "What?!"

"So… what are we?" My eyes narrowed as I stared at him.

"I… I… I don't know," he said. I sighed and shook my head.

"That's not good enough," I said. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't know…"

I grabbed him by the cheeks. "See? That's the problem right there. You can't seem to give me a clear answer."

"I don't understand you," Kyosuke said.

"I don't understand you either," I said. "It's such a shame, really. I think I've fallen for you." His cheeks turned bright red.

"Do you mean it?" he asked. I kissed on the bridge of his nose.

"Only if you tell me what we are," I said.

"Do you want us to be dating?"

"It's up to you." I gave him a little kiss on the lips.

-Hotaru-

Which one should I choose? I like both Ryo and Hiroyuki. There are so many issues with this.

First of all is my sexuality. Before my death, I was with men. In fact, my last boyfriend was the reason I was murdered by his wife. (I don't want to talk about it.)

I had been in a relationship with Emiko for years before she went to Heaven. Now, I'm just stuck.

My other problem was I am a demon. You see, Ryo and Hiroyuki are humans. I have no idea how they will take it when they find out what I am.

Speaking of which, I don't know who to choose. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"Yes?" I asked.

-Vivian-

"Hotaru-san?" I whimpered. "I need someone to talk to." Hotaru-san opened the door, peeking out. She spotted the tears running down my cheeks.

"Viv, what's wrong?" she asked. I sniffled as I sobbed.

"Mike's a jerk!" I cried. She tried to quiet me down.

"Shhh," Hotaru whispered. "Calm down. Calm down." I sobered in between breaths.

"Take a deep breath and tell me what's the matter," she said.

"I caught Mike in bed with another woman!" I cried. Hotaru-san's jaw dropped.

"What?!" she yelled. I nodded with my tears. She pulled me into her arms for a hug.

"There, there," Hotaru-san whispered. "Come inside and talk." I nodded as she led me into her room.

Back outside in the storm…


	47. Waiting, Plotting, and Baiting

_Chapter Forty-Seven: Waiting, Plotting, and Baiting:_

 _October 30th, 2010._

Haruka sat alone in her darkened living room. Her latest plan only made sense to her.

"You sure about this?" Aki asked.

"Yes," her mistress said. The kitsune lay at her feet. Haruka counted down to tomorrow. There was something she had to see.

"Do you think they will come?" Aki asked. The old lady patted her on the head.

"Oh, I know they will," she said. "It's set on that night too."

"Ooo! You didn't!"

"Why yes I did."

The kitsune lifted her head, puzzled. "But… why?"

"I thought would be rather fitting." Haruka smiled. "Ironic, but perfect at the same time."

"Are you going to kill her tomorrow night?"

"Not yet, precious," Haruka said, patting Aki. Her kitsune tilted her head.

"What?" she asked. "Why not?" Haruka winked.

"That my dear," she said. "It's my little secret." Aki's face became dim.

"You can't be serious," she said.

"Sorry."

"Then… what about Hitomi?"

"Hm? What about her?"

Aki shifted in her lap. "Why did you invite her over?"

"Oh, you know."

"No… What?" Before her mistress could speak, her cell phone rang.

"I bet that's her now," Haruka said. She picked up her phone. "Hello?"

"Haruka-san?" a small voice asked.

"Ah, just the person I wanted to talk to."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"No, I just wanted to see if you had any doubts or anything."

"No."

"But?"

"Hm?"

"You always have a `but' with my schemes. So, what is your `but' this time?"

"What do you mean?"

"There is always a `but'."

Hitomi sighed over the phone. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Haruka's lips curved into a smile in the darkness. "Why yes I am."

"What if you get hurt?"

Haruka sat back on her couch. "It would be all for knowing the truth."

"Please be careful, Haruka-san."

"I will, my dear. Anything else?"

"No…"

"Okay, good night."

"Good night, Haruka-san." Her friend hung up, smirking. With all of the pieces set into motion, the only thing left was to wait for Halloween to arrive.

"Good night, Aki-chan," she whispered in her sleeping kitsune's ear. The old lady kissed her on the cheek. She giggled as Aki smiled in her sleep.


	48. Bitter Tea Party

_Chapter Forty-Eight: Bitter Tea Party:_

 _Halloween, 2010._

"Come on," Tsuzuki said. "We have to do this." Anna sat on the couch, scowling.

"I don't want to!" she said.

"Look, I know what today means to you."

"Do you? Then you understand why I don't want to do this." Why did Haruka have to pick _this day_ to have the party? Was she making fun of her? Tsuzuki gently took Anna by the hand.

"I do."

"She's probably planning a trap!"

"She probably is."

"So why?!" She looked so tired. Tsuzuki couldn't tell if she wanted to scream or cry.

"Baby…" It hurt to see her so broken like this. Anna wouldn't get out of bed this morning.

"Leave me alone!" she pleaded. "Please!" Tsuzuki couldn't understand Haruka's end game. Right now, Anna pushed away his hand.

"I will not go!" she shouted. "She's planning to kill me, I just know it!"

"Maybe," Tsuzuki said. "Maybe she wants to talk."

"Ha! Talk? You're joking, right?"

"Well, we won't know until we go, now will we?"

"No."

Tsuzuki sighed. "Come on. I can't stand seeing you like this. We won't go alone at least." He grabbed onto her hand. "You can't waste away in the apartment like this. Aren't you a little curious?" Anna puffed up her cheeks, frowning.

* * *

Tsuzuki used Google maps to find Haruka's new home. He and the group stood at the front door. Anna looked pale as she held his hand.

"We are here for you," her husband whispered. Her lowered tip trembled. Tatsumi observed them as he stood behind. He too thought this was a bad idea.

 _October 30th, 2010._

 _7:00 p.m._

"You can't expect her to do this," Tatsumi said at work.

"I don't," Tsuzuki replied. His former partner's jaw dropped.

"What?! Then why are you…?"

Tsuzuki put down his pen. "This can't go on for Anna." He turned his head. "I have only seen her depressed: New Year's Day and Halloween. She's suffered like this for eleven years."

"And you think this _party_ will help her get over her grief?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "I don't know, but I feel like I have to do something."

 _-Present-_

 _I hope you know what you are doing, Tsuzuki-san_ , Tatsumi thought. In the front, Anna squeezed Tsuzuki's hand.

"Be on your guard," she whispered.

"Yes," he said. Their attention turned to door as it opened. Hitomi peeked outside wearing a maid outfit.

"Good evening," she greeted the guests with her head bowed.

"Who are you?" Anna asked.

"I will be Haruka-san's maid for tonight's party," the kitsune said.

"And where's the old bitch?"

"She's inside. Please follow me." Hitomi led the guests inside with a heavy heart. Anna gritted her teeth as she took off her shoes with everyone else.

They found Haruka sitting in the living room, waiting. She perked up when she heard their footsteps. Hitomi bowed in the doorway.

"Everyone is here, Haruka-san," she said.

"Thank you," the old lady said. "You may leave for tonight." Hitomi looked up with big eyes.

"Haruka-san…" she said.

"You may leave for tonight," her old friend said again. The kitsune bowed her head.

"I understand. Excuse me," she said. Hitomi walked out of the room with her hand to her chest. _Please be careful, Haruka-san_ , she thought. Haruka smiled cat-like as the door slid closed.

"Welcome to my humble home," the old lady said, holding out her hands. "Let us enjoy ourselves in my backyard garden tonight." Her eyes stayed locked on Anna who gave her a cold soulless glare.


	49. Witches' Feast

_Chapter Forty-Nine: Witches' Feast:_

-Downtown-

The lights flickered in the motel room. Katsumi stood in the dim bathroom, panting. He too had bad memories about Halloween. His vision began spinning.

"Baby?" Miki asked as she pounded on the bathroom door. "Baby, what's the matter?" He couldn't hear her voice. His mind ran back to childhood.

His path to darkness began on Halloween ten years ago. Katsumi's parents fought all of the time. Both always drew blood. Tonight, Katsumi gripped the sides of the sink.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"Baby?" Miki asked. Each pound on the door reminded him of his dad's fists pounding into his mom's ribcage.

"Just shut up!" Katsumi yelled.

"What's wrong?" Miki asked.

"I said shut up!" He threw a glass at the bathroom door. His father threw his plate that night too. His mom clutched her fork at the table. Little Katsumi kept his head down. Gut instinct told him tonight would be a nasty storm. It began when his mom muttered something under her breath.

Ten years later, Katsumi couldn't escape Halloween's turmoil. He gritted his teeth in the mirror. Tonight, he saw his father's reflection staring back at him.

"You!" Katsumi barked. "I am nothing like you!" Laughing filled his ears. His dad laughed at his wife huddled on the floor, bleeding. Katsumi hid under the kitchen table. He couldn't remember what they shouted at each other. His memories blocked that part out. But the images remained, blurry and cut to pieces, but vivid. He remembered his dad kicking and punching his mom. His mom never gave the monster the satisfaction. She fought back, no matter how bad her injuries.

Why did she stay? Even his mom asked the same question on the night before Halloween. She used to know, but at that point it didn't make sense. As she lay bleeding on the kitchen floor, Katsumi's mom decided to take one more chance to attack.

Katsumi in present day buckled as he remembered the bloody results on that Halloween night. He sank into a ball on the floor. A sea of blood clouded his vision. Whose was it? _Ma? Pa? Miki-chan's?_ Katsumi's head began to throb as the Halloween episode conclude in his head.

By November first in 2000, the little boy crawled out from under the table. The silence in the apartment scared him.

"Mama?" he asked. Against his better judgement, little Katsumi wandered into the kitchen. He took the first step into a pool of blood. The boy jumped back at the sensation. He looked down with big eyes. Blood was common in the apartment but this nearly covered the whole kitchen floor. Little Katsumi shook his head. _No. No…_

He lifted his head, trembling.

His mom's lifeless body lay splayed on the kitchen floor. She had been stabbed many times. The old angry expression remained on her face even in death. Katsumi covered his mouth, backing away. The boy ran into the living room into another horror. When backed into a pair of legs, he turned and found his dad's body hanging from the ceiling fan. The twisted smile on his face was enough to send the newly orphaned boy running out of the apartment.

Back in 2010, Katsumi broke down screaming in that dim motel bathroom.

* * *

Outside, Miki sat by the door. Her heart ached to hear her boyfriend in agony Katsumi locked himself in the bathroom hours earlier and refused to come out. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head. _Katsumi-kun…_

She happened to lift her head, sneering.

"What are you looking at?" Miki snarled. She snorted at the skeleton of their victim from last night laying across the room. Miki covered her ears when Katsumi screamed.


	50. Fox in Blood

_Chapter Fifty: Fox in Blood:_

Anna glared at Haruka. This old lady reeked of blood. She killed Daisuke, Yumiko, Kirika, and countless others. Haruka held out her hand.

"Please, take a seat," she said. Everyone sat down on the chairs and floor.

"There you go," Haruka said.

"What do you want from us?" Tsuzuki asked. Anna glared at the old lady.

"I just want to talk," Haruka said. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Tsuzuki grabbed her hand.

"Calm down," his eyes told her. "Don't play into her hands. That's what she wants." Anna puffed up her cheeks and frowned.

"May I ask about what?" Tatsumi asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Ah, yes," Haruka said. She took a drink of her green tea. "You see, we are dying. As you know, the Mother's been back for quite some time now." She lowered her cup. "I believe she means to kill us off."

"Okay," Tatsumi said.

"What is your point?" Tsuzuki asked. Haruka put out her hand.

"Before we begin," she said. "We should have that tea." Haruka rose to her feet. "Excuse me." She bowed her head and walked into the kitchen. Anna gritted her teeth.

"I don't trust her," she said. All eyes fell on her.

"I don't!" she shouted. "She's up to something. I just know it!" Tsuzuki rubbed on her hand.

"Yes," he whispered. "You have to keep it together, okay?" Anna snorted.

"Please?" her husband asked.

"Leave her be," Tatsumi said. The older shinigami sighed.

"Is something wrong?" someone asked. Everyone looked up and saw Haruka in the doorway.

"No," Anna said. Her grandmother cleared her and throat.

"Anyway," she said. "Tea's ready." Her granddaughter glared as Haruka passed around the tray. _What are you up to?_

"What's the matter, Anna?" the old lady asked. "Why so angry?"

"Why did you invite us here?" Anna asked.

"I just want to talk."

"You're full of crap, you know that?"

"Now why would you say that?"

"You murdered Papa!"

"Anna, please," Tsuzuki whispered. His wife clenched her fists. Haruka smiled, shaking her head.

"My, my," she said, setting a cup of tea down in front of her granddaughter. "Not very trusting, are you?"

"Can you blame me?" Anna asked under her breath. She stared down at her tea. It looked normal enough, but she sneered. Anna picked up the cup and sniffed it. No scent that would send off red flags, other guests. No one looked alarmed as they before drinking. She winced when the green liquid hit her tongue.

"Gah!" she whimpered. "Why is this tea so bitter?"

"What do you mean?" Tsuzuki asked. "It tastes fine to me." Anna frowned in discomfort. Haruka took another sip of her tea.

"What is the point of this party?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Oh," Haruka said, setting own her cup. "Why did I invite you to my home?"

"Yes."

"Hm… How do I put this?"

"Spit out already!" Anna snapped.

"Patience," Haruka said. As she began to talk, her granddaughter began to feel her head beginning to ache.

 _What is this? Why do I feel so dizzy? Ow. Is this her doing?_ Her vision became blurry as she slumped back against the couch.

 _So good to isolate you like this._

Anna jerked her head upwards. Haruka glared at her through her pain.

 _You! This is your doing, isn't it? What the hell did you do to me?!_

 _Nothing special, really. I slipped a little extra in the tea._

 _You what?_ Anna turned her head. Tsuzuki and the shinigami listened to Haruka talk. _Why aren't they in pain like me?_

 _My flavoring only affects kitsune and tsukai._

 _Why are you doing this?_

Haruka smiled. _I just want to see something for myself._

Anna winced at the pain growing in her head. _What?!_

 _One question before we begin._

 _Get out of my head!_

 _Come on, humor me here._

 _Do I have to?_

 _Yes._

Anna gritted her teeth, cursing herself. _Fine, what is it?_

 _Thank you._ Haruka leaned in with a cat-like smile. _Do you want to kill me?_

 _Yes!_

The old lady chuckled. _Very well._ She waved her hand back to reality. Anna's headache grew worse.

"Oh," Haruka said when she "noticed" her granddaughter's suffering. "You don't look so well. I have aspirin in my bathroom down the hall." Anna looked up and saw all eyes on her. She had the feeling this was a set-up, but what else could she do? She just wanted the pain to stop.

"Thanks," Anna grumbled. She rose to her feet and headed down the hall.

"What's wrong with her?" Hisoka whispered.

"Maybe I should go check on her," Tsuzuki said.

"Let her be," Haruka said as he was getting up. Tsuzuki turned his head, puzzled.

"But—" he said.

"She'll be fine," the old lady insisted. "Give her a couple minutes. She'll be back soon." After about ten seconds, Tsuzuki sat back down as he looked down the hall face drained of color. Haruka licked her lips.

"Very good," she purred.

* * *

An hour and half went by and Anna didn't return. Tsuzuki bit his lower lip.

"I'm going to go check on her," he said. "I have to!"

"I'll go," Haruka said. She got up and disappeared own the hall before the shinigami could speak. Hisoka held his partner's hand as he sat down.

Thirty minutes went by and nothing happened. Tsuzuki clutched his cup as he looked down the hall.

"I don't like this," he said. "I don't like this at all."

"Do you think Haruka did something to her?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki bit his lower lip. _Anna…_

A choked-up scream filled the air. The shinigami jerked their heads towards the hall.

"Anna!" Tsuzuki shouted. He got up and raced to the hallway. To his horror, his wife staggered down the hall. She wore a kitsune mask holding a knife while covered in blood. She didn't speak as the color drained from Tsuzuki's face.

"No," he said, trembling. "No. No! No! No! No!" The knife fell to the tatami mats as Tsuzuki dropped to his knees, screaming.

Owari


End file.
